A leading retail store in Preston put on an afternoon of Spring craft making fun today, all in aid of a local charity.
AdvertisementHobbyCraft, the national arts and crafts chain, hosted an afternoon of demonstrations and make-and-take stalls at its Preston store, with the help of artisans from across Lancashire. All money raised was donated to the charity SPACE on Pedders Lane, Ashton-on-Ribble, the largest multi-sensory centre in the UK which provides a calm and controlled environment to aid the development of people with special needs. HobbyCraft Preston is aiming to raise £4,000 for SPACE to enable them to expand their centre and introduce new equipment. This was the first of many fundraising events that will be taking place over the following months.
Families braved the traffic on a sunny Saturday afternoon to come along and take part in face painting, balloon bending and cake making plus plenty more, in exchange for a small donation to the SPACE centre. Krafty Kitty, Betty Balloon, Ella Bella and The Sock Monkey Emporium were just some of the artisans who offered their time to help hands-on shoppers, and HobbyCraft staff joined in the fun by donning an array of fancy dress outfits.
The hard work definitely paid off, and an impressive £377 was raised in total. This money will now contribute to maintaining the staff, training and facilities at the current SPACE centre, and help fund the building of a new centre with extra sensory rooms and more specialist equipment.
Fiona Kernohan, Local VIP Manager at HobbyCraft, said: “I am delighted that this event was so successful. We had customers of all ages joining in various crafts from cake decorating to making their very own mini sock mascots. This event enabled local artisans who have fantastic talents to showcase their work in HobbyCraft and it got customers involved in learning crafts whilst enabling local charity SPACE to benefit through donations. We enjoy having creative fun here in HobbyCraft Preston and we are looking forward to organising more events like this.”
Hilary Holden, Fund Raising Co-ordinator for The SPACE Centre, was delighted that Hobbycraft Preston were supporting the charity. She said: “Members of HobbyCraft made a visit to SPACE and were inspired with the Centre. They are now planning to raise funds for much-needed equipment at the new centre. It is with the support of companies like HobbyCraft that we are able to help children and adults with disabilities, their families, siblings and carers.”
If you would like to donate to SPACE, you can find out how to do so here. Details of upcoming fundraising events at HobbyCraft Preston can be found on their website.
Check out this slideshow of photos taken at the event.