This seemed a good post to follow on from my last one about my experiences with PTSD. It’s things like this that make me want to help raise money for a charity as amazing as Mind, as they provide so much support and help to so many people.
A few Saturdays ago, I hosted a “Crafternoon” which is an official fundraiser created by Mind. It’s where you get together with friends and family, do some crafting, eat some cake and raise money for their charity. I invited about 15 people and 8 ended up coming. In hindsight, it’s probably a good thing not everyone could come as my house isn’t exactly the largest, and it might have been difficult to squeeze them all in!
I had to think of some crafts to do and settled on pom poms and calligraphy. I had never made pom poms before so looked forward to learning a new skill. I’ve done calligraphy before but thought it was an easily organised craft, with minimal mess but which also creates some effective results. As a final touch I bought some empty keyrings which people filled with their calligraphy.
I decided to make some goody-bags, mainly for people to take their crafts home in. I bought some plain brown paper bags for a £1 and added names on myself. I also popped a few chocolates and bags of sweets in as an extra touch, again at minimal cost.
My Mum made some scones and brought some jam and cream so we could have cream teams. She was amazing for the whole afternoon actually, getting refreshments and sorting out the kitchen so that I could focus on the crafting. Having a small group of people meant we could all enjoy what we were doing and not have to worry too much about tidying up and making space, which was great.
Everyone had a go at all the crafts. Even my big brother who came along for support, surprised us all by actually sitting down and having a go at all the crafts. And he was actually very good! Alongside the crafting, I’d arranged a raffle which people put some extra money in for. I donated a bottle of wine, my mum donated chocolates and I managed to get some vouchers from local businesses who visited often, so there were four prizes in total. I think this really boosted the overall amount of money raised.
In total, with all online and offline donations, we raised £106 which I was really pleased about, as it was double my initial target! To anyone thinking of hosting a similar event, organisation is key. I made sure I organised things quite far in advance which meant minimal stress, and having someone to help out setting up/clearing away after is a really useful thing as well.
I enjoyed it so much that I think I’d like to hold one at Christmas as well – just think of the glitter!
If you would like to donate to Mind, my Just Giving page will be open for another week or so. Any donations are very much appreciated!
JustGiving Link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kate-hepplewhite5
Love, KH xxxx
A Cornish Wife's Tale 