IN 2022 CARLISLE CATHEDRAL MARKED the 900th anniversary of its foundation. Deeply committed to the Augustinian traditions of the original monastic foundation, we found that the great Augustinian theme of seeking rest for our restless hearts was the perfect frame for our year of celebration, entitled Journey and Rest. At the heart of the celebration we wanted a creative project to engage with the people, communities and churches of the county and diocese. This presented a key The schools’ labyrinth Ben Carter describes a creative project bringing a cathedral closer to the people and communities it serves logistical problem. Between the Cathedral and most of the diocese and county lies a mountain range, the Lake District fells. It was from these opportunities and challenges that the Schools’ Labyrinth was born. Based on the theme of Journey and Rest, engaging with the ancient idea of the labyrinth as a place of personal journey and spiritual renewal seemed an obvious place to start. However, we did not want to simply create a labyrinth and expect people to travel to the Cathedral to visit it. Instead, we wanted to engage communities where they were with this theme, and through that link them to the life of their Cathedral. An obvious network opportunity was the family of over one hundred Church schools which serve the children of the county. With the full support of the team at the Diocesan Board of Education (DBE), we began to work with a wonderful artist, Abbie Kilfedder, who has huge experience working with schools and children, to create collaborative works of art. We asked the schools to complete a design on a large foam tile (the type that fit together with jig-saw edges to make a temporary soft play floor). The tile was marked with a design area and a ‘path’ area which the school was asked to keep blank. Each school that signed up (over 60 in total) was then given one or two tiles as well as a resource pack with a collective worship, an RE and history lesson plan on pilgrimages and labyrinths, and an art lesson plan to help design and complete the tile. As the schools worked on their contribution to the labyrinth they were asked to share in the image something that made them proud of their school or what they loved about it. For some this was an image of the school building, for others, words from their vision and values, and still others a picture from the wider landscape in which their school and community was rooted. Over a term the schools completed this self-led work and returned their tiles to the Cathedral, through the legwork of the DBE team. We brought them all together and Abbie painted a clear blue path leading to the centre of the labyrinth which was decorated like the world-famous starry sky of the Cathedral ceiling. We launched the completed labyrinth in the presence of the Archbishop of York on Trinity Sunday 2022. We welcomed hundreds of children to visit the Cathedral to experience the labyrinth as part of a half-day education visit or through the year-six school leavers services we host at the Cathedral. But the life of the labyrinth did not stop there. The one hundred foam tiles, packed into five large laundry bags, went on tour across the county and diocese in the back of my car. This tour took part of the life and heritage of the Cathedral to communities in Ambleside, Cartmel, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale and Ulverston. Places where a journey to Carlisle would have cost a school or community group hundreds of pounds and several hours of travel. Beyond these visits we have been delighted to hear how the project has raised the profile of the Cathedral across the whole diocese, prompting us to plan creatively how we journey to where people are as well as encourage them to journey to the Cathedral. Through all the installations of the labyrinth we have invited visitors, particularly children, to carry something of their own personal journey and experience into the heart of the labyrinth. Coming in the shadow of the Covid lockdowns, it was a chance for children to write on a piece of paper the thing they wanted to give to God. Once they had done that (and collected a pilgrim badge) we asked them how the experience of walking the labyrinth made them feel. Ensuing conversations have been humbling, showing how the deep wisdom of slowing down, listening to ourselves, our feelings and to God can support us in our own wellbeing. The Schools’ Labyrinth is, above all, a very beautiful thing, a simple way for churches to engage with schools and community groups. It speaks not only of the commitment and creativity of the Cathedral and DBE team but also of the hundreds of children whose inspiration and skill created a unique focus in which to find, if only for a short while, rest for restless hearts.