Gifting Positivity
Last week we launched the Butterfly collection. The inspiration behind it is a message of positivity in the face of adversity, creating a limited edition collection that is close to our hearts and true to the moment we are all living through. It sees us collaborating with illustrator Jessica Rose Bird and patina artist Derek Bayley to produce a series of cufflinks and pins featuring a butterfly engraving and 3 pieces of art, inspired by the butterfly, all created to symbolise life, hope and change.
In addition to our positive message, we were all committed to creating a collection to give back. The last few months have highlighted the importance of care and community and we are so delighted to be donating 100% of the profits from this collection to two charities, the Cavell Nurses’ Trust and the Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust. Today we’d like to tell you a bit more about the wonderful work they do.
The Cavell Nurses’ Trust
We chose to support the Cavell Nurses’ Trust to give something back to the keyworkers who are risking their lives and working their hardest to protect us, our families and our communities through this crisis. Nurses are a constant in all of our lives from the moment we arrive in this world to the moment we leave it. Often overlooked and undervalued, nurses and midwifes are born to do the work they do and these are professions that we admire hugely and wanted to show our thanks and respect to. Amid the current pandemic, it seems so heart breaking to think of these key workers being in hardship, so it felt so right to support where we can.
The Cavell Nurses’ Trust works with nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, both working or retired, to make sure they are happier, healthier and able to stay in or return to work. The charity supports these keyworkers when they’re suffering personal or financial hardship often due to illness, disability, older age, domestic abuse or, more recently, the effects of COVID-19.
From simple, essential support like money to repair a broken cooker or boiler, to vital life-changing aid like helping a family flee their home due to domestic abuse, Cavell Nurses’ Trust is there to help.
We chatted to the team about the enormity of COVID-19, “In March and April we provided record levels of support. Last month, we gave out more than twice as many grants as we did in February, just before the pandemic hit the UK. It’s been an unprecedented couple of months for a small charity like Cavell Nurses’ Trust. This support is over and above what we’re providing to other nursing and midwifery professionals who are living with cancer, fleeing domestic abuse or suffering with poor mental health.
We want to help as much as our funding allows and must remember that, though the nursing and midwifery family are rising to the challenge of the coming days and weeks, the effects of the pandemic will be felt by our nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants for months to come.”
You can find out more about the great work that they do here https://www.cavellnursestrust.org/.
The Fashion and Textile Children’s Trust
The Fashion and Textile Children’s Trust
Coming from the fashion industry and having small children this one is close to our hearts and we understand the immense pressures you feel as a parent to make sure you are providing for your children. For us, business and family go hand in hand, something the FTCT also recognises and supports, so we feel it is essential to support parents at this time and to try to help them navigate their way out of hardship. As a business, we work with and alongside a lot of self-employed designers; makers and freelancers so know how hard the current crisis has been on our friends and their families.
Founded in 1853 when the cotton industry was thriving, the FTCT provides financial grants for the children of UK fashion and textile employees. It offers one-off grants for essential items, ongoing grants for specialist support and holds families and children at the heart of everything it does.
We caught up with their team about the changing landscape, “Demand for our grants since the coronavirus pandemic has increased enormously. Families have been hit hard by the loss of income and uncertainty, although many of those applying for our grants now were likely in financial hardship before the pandemic. It's almost like the pandemic has now given them the boost to get help. To put things into perspective, we are a small team of 7 and have gone from one person answering enquiries every Thursday, to now involving 3 members of staff (including myself) 5 days a week. Our team are incredibly dedicated and our focus is getting financial help to families as quickly as we can.
We don't know what the future will hold, everything is changing so quickly and constantly! Our team will just keep adapting to the new normal, both in terms of how we work and the number of people asking for help. What we do know, is we will continue to be there to make sure no fashion and textile family struggles to afford their child's basic needs. It’s what we have been doing for the past 167 years and it won’t stop now!”
You can learn more about the FTCT and the support it offers here: https://www.ftct.org.uk/.
To learn more about the Butterfly Collection, click here to browse the pieces or follow us on Instagram @alicemadethis where Alice is making regular video updates. We hope you’ll join us in supporting these great causes.
