03
Dec
The Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: ‘We don’t want to turn people away’
This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is aiming to give the gift of creativity to people with sight loss and other disabilities.
With your help, we are hoping to raise £5,000 towards two new workshops at Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre in Knaresborough.
With the centre reaching capacity, the charity has a waiting list of people desperate to access the life-changing opportunities it offers.
Any donations to our appeal will go directly to helping fund the new creative spaces, so that more people can experience the joy of creativity at Christmas, and all year round.
Inclusivity and connection
The Arts and Crafts Centre has been open since 1998, offering local people with disabilities the opportunity to find connection, inclusivity and inspiration through creativity.
Stephen Tongue, Henshaws’ charity director, said:
Not only do people find a creative outlet at the centre, but they also find a community to be part of. What we want to do is extend that community.
‘We are at critical point’
In the nearly three decades since the centre opened, its vibrant community has grown steadily and it has become increasingly popular, particularly since the pandemic.
Stephen said this is because the centre is a 'unique place' in the way it supports vision-impaired and disabled people through a combination of arts and crafts.
The addition of a yurt and a shepherd's hut has helped create new workshop space and increase capacity, but this is no longer enough. Stephen said:
We are running out of space at the centre. Right now we have a waiting list for some of the workshops and it's only going to get longer.
We are reaching that critical stage where there's no more room to accept new people. We run the risk of having to turn people away – and we never want to turn people away.
The plans
The new studios will be part of the development of a ‘Secret Garden’, which aims to connect art and nature.
They will offer accessible, sensory-friendly environments for people of all abilities.
An artistic representation of how the new workshops wat Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre in Knaresborough will look.
Stephen, who is leading the fundraising for the project, said the aim is that the purpose-built workshops will be able to function both separately and together as one large, versatile open space.
They will also be able to evolve over time, meeting the needs of the centre and the people who use it – known as Artmakers – for decades to come.
The new workshops will also provide a connection to the garden, which Stephen said would have a hugely positive impact on people’s wellbeing. He said:
We want that connection with nature. Not only is it inspiring for creativity but it's also a quiet space where people can have a break when they need it.
The well-being benefits of connecting with nature are now more recognised, and well-being is so important to the community that we work with. If you feel good about yourself, you are happier, healthier and better equipped to manage your conditions.
Help give the gift of creativity this Christmas
Stephen Tongue, charity director at Henshaws.
By supporting our Christmas Appeal, you’ll be helping local people with disabilities find joy, purpose and friendship through art. Stephen said:
The centre is a community asset, and being able to build the extension is completely reliant on charity donations. Fundamentally it's an opportunity for everyone to make a difference – every donation counts.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors Raworths Solicitors in Harrogate, we are able to give all money raised by the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal directly to the new creative workshops.
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