After nearly two years working for Craft Aid International, today is my last day before I move onto something new, and whilst it’s sad to say goodbye to so many wonderful people, it’s also great to be able to look back and reflect on how much has happened since I’ve been part of the Craft Aid journey!
 
During my time with Craft Aid, I have seen…
 
1 new project begun in Ecuador, which will bring transformation to the lives of many differently-able people in Santo Domingo, just like Neema Crafts Centre has done in Tanzania and now the project in Peru too. And...

2 new talented volunteers trained and equipped to plant this exiting new project in Ecuador. ​

3 skilled long-term volunteers head out to Peru to continue establishing the project, providing training and employment for many people with disabilities in Arequipa.
 
4 big annual events raise thousands of pounds, and bring the creative gifts of many differently-able people to the attention of the local community (our Summer Ball, Happygate, the Knitting and Stitching Show and our 1940’s night.) You can still book tickets to our Summer Ball this year here!

5 volunteers journey to Peru in March last year. I got to be part of the team and had the amazing opportunity to meet the differently-able workers there, see the beautiful products they’d been making, listen to their stories and create a film about it! (Also got to party with them all - plenty of eating, dancing and singing!)​

Meanwhile, in the UK, we have been preparing for Easter, making Easter treats and flower decorations in our community craft sessions. (If you're interested in chocolate...the mini egg buckets below will be sold at St Mark's Church, Harrogate, on Palm Sunday!) Our community craft workshops continue to be a source of fun and creativity in the lives of the differently-able participants. Speaking to one of our regular participants the other week, he said how much he enjoys making things and seeing everybody each week.

​Our hospital craft sessions also continue to be an important opportunity for hospital inpatients to be creative, socialise and practice their motor skills. The participants had great fun marbling paper last week, producing some beautiful results!

*Brilliant* day here today. Day 1: Up early, quick walk around Quito, got the bus to Santo Domingo and - thankfully - was on the right bus and got met by Jill. Had really useful meeting all afternoon about how the project might fit with the needs here. Jill took me to church in the evening and I had to fight to stay awake all through the 40 minute sermon (which was embarrassing as I was on the front row!) as it felt like 2.30am to me! The church meets in a covered parking lot, so the fact that cars were noisily entering the service complete with flashing lights and reversing bleeps roughly every 10 minutes, helped to keep shaking me out of sleep! It was all very refreshingly un-British.

​Day 2: SUPERB day. Went to an Indian settlement in the morning which was totally fascinating and incredibly beautiful, then met Pastor William, the co-founder of the charity Jill set up here, for a lunch meeting. It couldn't' have gone better! He is totally brilliant. He couldn't have been more engaged or helpful. He loved hearing about Neema Crafts and Craft Aid, and immediately rejoiced in the idea of doing something similar here. He says the needs of disabled people in Ecuador are huge, and that we couldn't have come to a better place to start such a ministry. The next thing I knew he was driving us 20 mins out of town to piece of land with a couple of great structures on it that we could use as an office and workshop 3 days a week, disabled toilets and showers, an outdoor sink perfect for screen washing etc, and enough land to build a perfect paper-making and screen printing workshop on! Next he drove us to meet a local disabled man, who told us there is one deaf person and 5-6 disabled people living nearby to the plot, all desperate for work. So, potentially: land, premises and a workforce, all in the space of an afternoon!!! Obviously it's very early days, but it feels like an extremely promising start. I couldn't be (cautiously!) happier!

Tomorrow we're going to meet to sort out all the legalities which is fantastic. William says it should be straight forward to register it as part of the church's practical community work, so that's brilliant. If you are someone who prays, please pray for the rest of my time here that I get everything done that needs doing and build good relationships with everyone here. SO glad I came, would absolutely not have wanted to send Lydia and Mark here without having come first to start laying the right foundations. EXCITED. God is good!

 Tell us a bit about yourselves:

Mark: I have played the piano since I was 6 years old and did a BA in Jazz at Middlesex University, yes you can do a degree in Jazz. I love the outdoors, hiking is one of my great joys which is awesome in the Peak District, not so good in Enfield! I have been on the staff at Jubilee Church London for the last 4 years. During my time there I feel I have grown a huge amount in my faith and walk with God and am more and more persuaded of his good plan for my life and my call to walk in simple obedience to him.

Lydia: I am 26 years old, brought up in the south of England. Art has been my favourite subject throughout education and I did a BA in Jewellery and Accessories at Middlesex University graduating in 2012. I have always been more drawn to oversized sculptural jewellery than the mainstream glitzy jewellery. I know I’m called to use my artistic talents to show God’s love and compassion to others. 

How did you find out about Craft Aid International? And what led to your decision to work in Ecuador?

Mark: I’ll let Lydia handle this one….

Lydia: In the work placement year of my Jewellery degree I volunteered for a few months at Neema Crafts Centre in Tanzania, having visited the project the previous summer on a 3 week mission trip with Soap Box. Volunteering at Neema is the closest I’ve ever got to doing a dream job so, having worked for Costa Coffee for the last 5 years, I decided it was time for a change. I longed to use my creative gifts again but I have always known I want to use them for more than just myself. 

I contacted Susie and found out about the Peru project and the possible project in Ecuador, which needed someone willing to go out and set it up. With this being a voluntary overseas position, Mark and I thought and prayed long and hard about it and we finally decided that this was such a wonderful opportunity that we couldn’t miss. We strongly feel called by God to this project as he has given us the skills and gifts for such a work, although we’re still really praying to learn Spanish quicker!

What will you be doing? How long will you be going for?

Mark: In a nut shell, we will be setting up a craft-based social enterprise employing people with physical disabilities and providing them with training and a living wage. People with physical disabilities in South America are often unemployed, undervalued and on the fringes of society. This project will aim to enable and empower physical disabled people and demonstrate their worth to the community and themselves.

My role will be very fluid, doing basically what ever needs to be done on that day. I’ll look after our social media stuff, finances and record-keeping and any general handiwork that needs doing. I’m semi proficient with a drill but I do have an unfortunate tendency to stick sharp blades into my hands so Lydia might be doing some first aid! As I am not the arty one I will leave Lydia to explain what we’ll actually be producing….

Lydia: As Mark said it will be a craft-based project and we will hopefully start by producing our own handmade paper, as all the resources needed will be available and it is a great product to get started with. We will also look to produce things like earrings, bracelets and other small jewellery items and a lot will depend on what is available in the local area. It’s an interesting prospect to have to design craft products based on the resources available and on the abilities of the employees who will be making them and I’m really excited about this challenge. We have committed to 1 year but by the time we’re settled and the project has started I can see us staying for 18 months at least!

What are you looking forward to over the next year or so?

Mark: I’m looking forward to so many aspects but my main thing is that I can’t wait to see Lydia out there, in her element, and all the amazing things I know God is going to do though her and the project. I’m also very excited to travel to a new place (never been to South America before) meet lots of new people and see all the incredible scenery and wildlife that Ecuador has to offer. 

Lydia: I’m really looking forward to travelling to a new place, experiencing a new culture and of course eating new food! I’m so excited to be submersed in creative thinking again and to use creative work to help transform the lives of those who we are working with and I’m delighted to be able to do this with Mark. I know this year is going to be full of many ups and downs and plenty of challenges but I’m so looking forward to seeing how God will work in those situations, bringing us out the other side better and stronger for the experience. ​

If you would like to support the valuable work of Mark and Lydia, you can donate here. Thank you!
​

From me
 
Throughout every day, come, rain, shine, light and dark, through the passing of the days…
I think maybe, I was born to be the coat of the animal I think they call a lamb.
We had so many advantages, staying close to mum, then sometimes after feeding, jumping around with friends, and having so much fun.
 
Time passed, and I grew. I was know longer small.
One day, the nice man that fed the lambs came. This time, he made all the lambs line up.  I could hear a nasty noise I had never heard before, then he held me in strange position. I felt tugging, and pulling.
He let me go. Suddenly very cold, the flock met up with their friends, looking at each other they said, “Where have our beautiful coats gone….?”
 
That night, I was picked up. The next day I was cleaned, washed, sorted, and put into a machine, where it made me into different coloured wool.
 
Later I got packed, up and sent to this place they call a shop.
A lady, came into the shop, she was stunningly dressed. She picked me up, “This is a really beautiful colour and the texture is just what I am looking for”, she said. Her name was Hope
 
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Once home, Hope sat down, so excited, full of love, and enthusiasm. She picked up her knitting needles and fastened on the first stitch.  It was dark by the time she looked up at the clock. Hope was knitting some tiny shoes for her grand daughter. Later they would be followed by a cardigan, and a dress suit.
 
Her granddaughter was unique, precious, and beautiful, and needed to be dressed with love, in stunning clothes.
She already had 6 different coloured knitted blankets, nicely folded, on the table behind her. Once finished, her smile was beaming as she presented her homemade gift to her son, and later she watched her granddaughter being dressed in them. They fitted just right, and their colour made the babies eyes shine so bright. And there was still a little room for growth.
 
Now back home, Hope sat down on her special knitting chair, she was so overwhelmed with pleasure, some would say fit to burst, in more ways than one: she had enjoyed spending time with family and adoring her grandchild, in her special clothes that everyone liked. In the back of her mind, she had initially been worried, for these gifts couldn't be exchanged or taken back.
 
Suddenly, Hope’s phone alarm went off, “Gosh is that the time?!” she said. She slowly got up and put the food she had prepared in the oven. Whilst she was waiting, she sat back down on her knitting chair, and took out her bag. One by one, she pulled out, with surprise, odd ends of different coloured balls….
Laid out in front of her in a big line, “Gosh you are breeding! Where have these all come from? What, am I going to do with them all! They are no use to me now”, she said.
 
As she was putting the balls back in the bag, she suddenly remembered some special places that would take used wool.
 
She had been to a talk given by a lady called Susie Hart, who ran a charity called Craft Aid International. Quickly, looking in her handbag, she pulled out her leaflet that she had picked up. “Oh that's right”, she thought. “At the end of her talk, she said that lots of the things created by the differently-able participants are made from recycled items.  She would love to be given useable, unwanted craft items, especially wool.”

Next day, she dropped it off to a grateful Susie, who made her very welcome, and over a drink of tea, they had a chat. Susie told her all about Craft Aid International, and the craft sessions they ran. Hope left very contented, and decided she might try and go to a craft session, where she could meet new friends. With all the craft equipment provided, she would never have to worry, as her money was a bit tight.
 
Whilst there, Hope was taught how to make attractive gifts and how to support the disabled participants, happily knowing that it was a brilliant cause that would see her work put to full use. With hand on heart, she knew 100% of the money made from selling the gifts went straight back to the charity to help in different ways.
 
 
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I suddenly found myself in a big box with lots of other wools, the lady carried us into a bright room filled with lots of noise. Later I was picked out by soft hands, and slowly wrapped around and around, then cut, tied, pulled, and rolled in someone’s hands to form a ball. Then held up with pride.  “Gosh that is a good Pom Pom, I just love those colours.”
 
Just in that month alone, lots of different size Pom poms, all of amazing different colours were made. Mostly out of odd ends of wool like me. I was then paired with a few friends, and sewed onto something, I think it was what you call a ‘stocking’. My friends were sewed onto cushions, and others were just put up, so they could be admired, and some as decorations, sewn onto special hats and scarves. Or even made into things like animals and a snowman!
 
So many stories could be told, but let's just say, from a little piece of unwanted wool, I became many things. I became alive again, was given a purpose and lots of love, able to make an impression on the future, and even keeping up with the fashion trend! Anyone who was anyone had a Pom Pom of some kind somewhere on them. Some even tied onto handbags.
 
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​

​Over the last few weeks, we’ve had the wonderful opportunity to share about our work with lots of different people from all over the UK. And we didn’t even have to go anywhere! People travelled from far and wide (sounds a bit like the nativity story!) to come to the Knitting and Stitching Show! It was held at the Harrogate International Centre over four days at the end of November. As you may have read in our previous blogs, it one of the biggest craft fairs in Europe (it is hard to describe how big it is! ‘Craft fair’ doesn’t really do justice to the scale of it. It’s more like a huge Craft Mall!) We were very fortunate to have a stall there again this year, where we sold our crafts made by differently-able people in Yorkshire & Arequipa, shared about our work, and gave visitors the opportunity to try some of the crafts we do at our therapeutic workshops. Many of our participants and volunteers came along to demonstrate the crafts to visitors (marbling, pom-pom-making and sewing felt flowers) and to sell some of the beautiful things they’ve been making over the last few months. 

'We’ve also had plenty of chances to share about our work with the local Harrogate community recently, through other craft fairs and through our Carols by Candelight service on the 1st December. We gathered at St Peter’s church in the very heart of Harrogate to sing carols together, drink mulled wine, eat mince pies and listen to some beautiful Christmas songs, performed by talented harpist and vocalist, Lucy Bunce. Some of you may remember the concert she did for us last year, and this year was another success. It was a lovely way to begin the Christmas season, and also a thought-provoking one. In the address, Susie spoke about the radical nature of the Christmas story, which is so often idealised and 'cosy-fied'. God came to us as a helpless baby and was born in the midst of real poverty. He came to bring hope to the wise men and to the shepherds, to the rich and the poorest of the poor. Susie reminded us that Craft Aid’s vision is also to bring hope to people on the margins all over the world, in the UK, Peru, Tanzania, Ecuador, and many more places in the future, where people with disabilities are still living in financial and social poverty. 

As we come towards the end of 2016, it is encouraging to see how the number of Craft Aid’s supporters have grown this year, both within Yorkshire and beyond! Thank you so much to everyone who has joined us on our journey this year, or continued to support us, whether that is through giving financially, coming to one of our events, buying our crafts, or volunteering with us. We are so grateful to all the people who enable us to make an impact both locally and globally.      

We've been super busy this last month creating some rather splendid Christmas garlands and wreathes. Glitter, as usual has been involved! But this year, we've also introduced some new pom-pom products. Pom-poms came into fashion this spring, and it's a trend that has stayed in the shops this summer and autumn. Now you can carry this fashion into your homes for Christmas with our fabulous new pom-pom wreathes! (Sneak peak above) We've been making them at our therapeutic craft sessions using wool that has kindly been donated to us. 

Whilst we're busy here in Yorkshire with craft sessions and events, our volunteers and employees in Arequipa have also been working hard. Fiona and Chris Courtman have now moved to work full-time at the project for the next few years, so we'll be sharing more about them and their work very soon... ​

Natasha first came to our craft sessions as a participant, but she now volunteers for us and sometimes writes articles about our work too. Here's a snippet from her latest piece of writing. Keep an eye out for this article in Harrogate newspapers! 

"I cannot believe that in 2016 people with any form of disability are made to feel worthless and face discrimination on a daily basis. With the Olympics and Paralympics still fresh in our minds, we should now hope that people with all forms of disability, whether it's mental, physical, or emotional, get recognised with their own rights, and are given the recognition they all deserve, whether they are famous or not.

My name is Natasha, I have epilepsy and a form of dyslexia. On the outside, I look like an everyday person. Alas, I sometimes have problems fitting into society. I have been known to get strange looks when I show the conductor my bus pass. Some get really big eyes when I say, “Oh mine is a Disabled pass....” "But what is wrong with you?”, they all think. “You don't look disabled.”

I am a very creative, people person, who loves to make things, help others to learn new skills and make craft goods. Not having all the skills, space, or equipment myself, I am honoured to be able to volunteer for Craft Aid International. It's one of the only places I feel accepted.

At the beginning of the craft classes, everyone bustles around, helping to unload the car, and set up the equipment. Then we have a brief meeting about what we are making today, and if needed, we’re given instructions on how to make the items. Then once all the participants have arrived, the fun begins! And we get to choose one of up to four different crafts. We make greetings cards, flower brooches, mosaics, jewellery, marbled paper and more. At the moment, we are making Christmas goods!

We will also have lots of different wools, and with the help of our friendly volunteers, you will have a chance to make your very own funky Pom-Pom. All we ask is a small donation, and for you to remember us, and tell all your friends about us! We look, forward to seeing you there to share in our excitement!" ​​​ ​

You can read the full article here.

​Guests indulged in a gorgeous, candlelit, three-course meal, enjoyed some fabulous live Jazz, and won some amazing prizes (a         holiday in Barbados, a family photography shoot, a luxury facial and all sorts of other goodies). It was an unforgettable night and we raised over £6500 through the event!  (You can order your photos of the night here.)

Every time a big cardboard box from Peru is delivered to the Craft Aid office, it feels like Christmas! It's always exciting to see all the new high-quality craft products that our differently-able artisans in Arequipa have been making. These vibrant cushions made from traditional Peruvian fabric are some of our newest arrivals.

​They’ve already been very popular at craft fairs and stalls. We’ve even been… 

​In July, we had the amazing opportunity to have a stall at Plaza Latina, “London’s best Latin American festival” with music, food, dance, art and kids activities. Our craft products may even be appearing in shops in Shoreditch soon, so keep your eyes peeled…

​We have so nearly raised the funds we need to buy the building in Arequipa, where we want to establish our craft centre. We have raised a huge amount of money in one year, and particularly over the last few months. ​We are so grateful to everyone who has given. To find out about our vision to employ more differently-able workers in Peru, watch the video.  

​This July, we ran a Craftival at Happygate, Harrogate’s new arts & music festival. This event raised money for three local charities, and we were blessed to be one of the benefiting charities! We had three bustling craft areas where visitors could learn how to produce beautiful marbled paper, make some seriously funky pom-poms, or even create their very own mosaic (if you missed the event, fear not! Watch Susie’s mosaic tutorial here.) Our disabled participants created a spectacular mosaic sign for the event, which drew a lot of attention. It was great to be able to show visitors some of the activities that we do at our therapeutic craft sessions and to share about our work with the Harrogate community.

It’s been a busy few months, and we’re excited about what’s ahead. Soon we’ll be waving off some new volunteers, who will be moving to work at our project in Peru, but more about that next time! 

At today's Harrogate workshop, I asked some of the people on my table to describe Thursday afternoon craft sessions in three words. They struggled to stop at three. As I was feeling lenient, I thought I would let them expand a little!

They all said that friendship was an important part of CAI craft workshops. "It's an opportunity to meet people from different walks of life" says Sara.

"Every week is different. You never know what you will be doing that week". "Spontaneous" was another word they used! Craft sessions are exciting and different, as well as calming and therapeutic. One lady explained how the sessions are clever, beacause you don't just learn how to make crafts, but the workshops also encourage personal growth. "It's an opportunity to learn patience and kindness."

They are illuminating, because you learn new crafts, but you also learn about different people with different stories and different abilities." Several agreed that if you ever come feeling sad, you always meet people at the craft session whose outlook on life is so positive, even though they have faced huge difficulties and struggles. "It puts in things in perspective."