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Dec
The Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: Five Reasons To Donate
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal so far. Your donations will go directly towards two new creative workshops at Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre in Knaresborough.
Our Christmas appeal is aiming to raise £5,000 to help Henshaws expand its art studios and offer life-changing opportunities to even more visually impaired and disabled people.
Give the gift of creativity this Christmas
If you haven’t donated yet, here are five reasons why you should consider supporting our appeal – any amount is hugely appreciated.
1. Creativity changes lives
Henshaws is unique in our area in providing life-changing creative opportunities for people with sight loss and other disabilities.
Through the arts and crafts workshops at the centre, people living with a range of disabilities can discover their talents, gain confidence and independence, and realise their full potential.
Students, known as Artmakers, attend a wide range of creative workshops, all within a supportive and inspiring environment. They are welcomed into a wonderful community full of life and joy. The sessions give them an opportunity for self-expression, allowing them to explore creativity and find their voice.
Watch this video to see what Henshaws means to its Artmakers.
2. The centre is running out of space
The unique opportunities that Henshaws provides are so in demand that the centre is now running out of space.
This Christmas, our appeal is asking for your donations to help the charity build two new workshops where creativity can blossom all year round.
Part of a wider ‘Secret Garden’ project, the new studios will be safe, accessible, sensory-friendly environments that connect art and nature.
The new space will allow for an amazing 200 additional workshop sessions every week, from mosaics and textiles to ceramics and painting.
3. There is a waiting list
The amazing impact of the arts and crafts centre on people’s lives means that demand for places has grown massively in recent years. Sadly, that means that for some people who long to join the centre's creative community, there’s a waiting list.
Please donate whatever you can to our appeal so that more people can experience the joy of creativity, just as Olivia explains in her story here.
4. Every donation counts
Donations to the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal so far have ranged from £5 to £25, and we are hugely grateful for each one.
Whatever you feel able to give will help Henshaws offer life-enhancing creative opportunities to even more people.
Just £5 would help equip the new centre with paints and brushes for an Artmaker session.
£10 would buy a brick to lay the foundations for the building.
And £25 would provide fabric for Artmakers exploring textile creations.
5. The space is for community use as well
It’s not just Artmakers and their families who benefit from the facilities at Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre.
The space is also for community use, with a variety of local groups holding events at the centre.
Henshaws’ CEO, Sally Daniels, told us she loves the fact that the centre “brings together people with sight loss and other disabilities with people living locally in a space that everyone uses and enjoys”.
Hear more from Sally about how the centre is such a fabulous community.
How you can help
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been bringing you stories about some of the Artmakers at Henshaws. We’ve discovered how the centre has transformed their and their families’ lives.
Our Christmas appeal is generously sponsored by Raworths Solicitors in Harrogate, which means all the money donated by our readers goes directly to the new art workshops.
Please do support this appeal and give the gift of creativity this Christmas.
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