Those of you who have been reading my posts for some time will know that when the pandemic hit I, like many others, felt completely useless. One of the things that helped me feel slightly less useless was raising money for The Trussell Trust along with help from my brilliant customers and students. In 2020 we raised £692.50 through the sale of limited edition bookmarks, donations for Colour Your Palette books sold, donating and buying second hand textile books from the bogshed library etc. These efforts continued in 2021 albeit at a slower pace and we raised £345 for YoungMinds.org.

And now this year. Well that feeling useless thing is back. At least it is for me. The war in Ukraine is horrific and I am in awe of the generosity of people across Europe and around the globe in supporting the Ukrainian people. But there is something closer to home that I’m also finding distressing. And that is the effect of rising energy and food costs. It is incomprehensible how so many people will fall into poverty in the UK when we live in a country with the 6th or 7th biggest economy. The pandemic hit the poorest families hard; the staggering rise in cost of living is going to cast a much wider net with those on fixed incomes and those who were getting buy facing tough months ahead. I am ashamed to live in a country were ‘heat or eat’ is a decision that so many people will have to face every day and where there are more food banks than McDonalds.

So I am going to try, with your help, to raise money for The Trussell Trust again this year. The Trussell Trust is a charity that supports food banks and campaigns for the end of food poverty in the UK. At some point I will make more bookmarks but for now …..

• I have made 36 Inspiration Packs each containing a mix of silk, linen, cotton and viscose fabrics and threads. Each pack costs £12.50 and I will donate £5 from each sale to The Trussell Trust. (I’m taking them to The Creative Craft Show at the ExCel Center, London on the 1st and 2nd April and will add any that remain to my website early next week).

• I will donate £10 for every workshop place I sell between now and the end of April.

• I have reduced the cost of my online Breakdown Your Palette workshop by 25% from £240 to £180 until the end of April in recognition of the fact that not everyone is free to travel yet.

Thank you to the lovely Millie T for donating thread to the cause!

I know that some will believe that any money raised should be used for Ukraine as their need is greater but hope that most of you will understand and support my efforts.

Leah x