We're still collecting donations
On the 9th March 2023 we'd raised £1,510 with 46 supporters in 49 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
Bringing a multipurpose co-operative venue to the High Street to assist all those in need of a little help and to also provide opportunities
by Creative Leiston C.I.C. in Leiston, , United Kingdom
On the 9th March 2023 we'd raised £1,510 with 46 supporters in 49 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
Creative Leiston has been acting to improve mental and social wellbeing in the community around Leiston and Sizewell since the darkest days of the pandemic. In the beginning it was a group of like-minded crafters, creatives and imagineers who wanted to brighten and invigorate the town.
Since then, we have provided free craft camps for children and families, a range of activities and events in and around Leiston, sourced materials for schools, after school clubs, community groups and projects. We've helped organise "Secret Santa" with the local food bank to ensure underprivileged children received more than just food at Christmas. We're building Enchanted Kingdoms, hosting magic, music and more, yet all of this is done from living rooms and a storeroom, but we want to do more!
Project40Seven is the new base for Creative Leiston. It is in the centre of town, close to all the main amenities, and accessible to all.
The multi-purpose venue includes The Leiston Pantry, a social supermarket where, by working with local and national retailers, we offer customers a range of produce in return for a low, fixed, payment. We are also seeking to operate a Fuel Bank for those in urgent need of a top up voucher for their utility pre-payment meters.
There is a Library of Things where, for a small annual membership fee, anyone from Leiston and the surrounding areas can borrow from our library of tools, cleaning equipment, cooking implements and sundry other items. This will give people the chance to get things done without having to pay out money they can't necessarily afford whilst also helping the town reduce its carbon footprint.
As well as providing people with things they need, we also aim to help them keep the things they have for longer. The Repair Cafe will operate on a monthly basis, as a free facility allowing people to bring in their faulty or tired appliances, furniture, clothes etc. to get refreshed and repaired. A uniform exchange and other similar options will also be run alongside this.
To help to fund these services, Project40Seven is home to Crafted, a shop dedicated to the creations of an array of amazing local crafters and artists. Their labours of love are displayed for your delectation; all unique, fabulous and fairly priced!
We're the new home for Leiston's very own Refill! The Zero Waste shop has joined us in helping provide cost effective, minimally packaged and environmentally friendly food, drink, cleaning and personal care produce.
Once we have our phase two works completed you'll be able to visit C's Café/Bistro and enjoy it's varied food options in Church Square and in our inside seating area. It will be supporting both stand-alone and themed events that Creative Leiston and others aim to hold there. We will be tying in with both the Social Supermarket, the Food Bank, Refill and several local companies to reduce our food waste down to zero by batch cooking meals and sauces etc from the foods that are about to expire and anything that we can't reuse that way will enter our composting system to then be used by our customers.
Creative Leiston is a non-profit organization. Any surplus that is made from Project40Seven will go to help to improve its facilities, increase its community offerings, and help fund further events and projects in and around the town. All Project40Seven profits will be used for the benefit of the community that uses and supports it.
To help kick start this though, we need to raise some funds. We need doors that allow for disabled access, and windows that keep the heat in! We need to improve the WC and kitchen facilities and renew the lighting. We need fridges, freezers, shelving, flooring, and IT equipment. And we need to start building our Library of Things!
This is where your help would be invaluable! The more we are able to do now, the sooner we can open the venue and start to provide the services that our communities need.
It’s sometimes said that it takes a village to raise a child. We hope that with your support our baby will grow to be something we can all be proud of! So, if you're able to pledge something towards this, please help get us on our feet. If you're not in a position to help financially but maybe have time, skills, materials or support you'd like to provide we really would love to hear from you either on our Facebook page or directly at [email protected]
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