As one of those regional partners, The Mighty Creatives have outreached to local foodbanks and areas across the East Midlands to receive these boxes.
Across the East Midlands, around one in four children are currently living in poverty, and this also lends itself to the poverty of opportunity, with families in areas such as Wellingborough and Corby (Northamptonshire), Nottingham city and Chesterfield (Derbyshire) reliant on the support of community programmes such as Made With Many, ChalleNGe Nottingham, and Chesterfield Cultural Partnership. Through these organisations, we distributed hundreds of Craft Boxes in December to children and families who need them most.
Creativity can feel like a low priority, especially during a cost-of-living crisis, but with the Let’s Craft campaign, more and more families won’t be forced to suspend their creativity. With paint pots, pom poms, glitter, fabric, foam and more in each box, the materials in the boxes provided by Hobbycraft are ideal to help children’s cognitive development and champion their creativity – leading to better mental health and lower stress levels. Nicky Dewar, Director of Learning and Skills at Crafts Council commented:
“Sadly, there are far more people in need in 2023 than there should be. Because of this, we know that many families are unable to provide even basic crafting materials for their children to enjoy. With half term fast approaching, we’re glad to play a small part in helping children to unlock their creativity and we can’t wait to see what brilliant creations the children come up with!”
TMC have also commissioned two members of the Youth Board to create a illustrated postcard to include in boxes in the East Midlands encouraging families to embrace creativity and get crafty together. Submitted postcards will be shown on our Mighty Gallery.
Craft Council are continuing to fundraise for future rounds of Craft Boxes, and you can help support the Let’s Craft campaign to reach even more families across the region and beyond through the Craft Council website.
Image Credit: Lamar Francis