Craft team help Crawley homeless shelter

Crafting entrepreneurs Cary Buckham and Gill Moore have donated more than 400 handmade greetings cards to Crawley Open House homeless shelter.

Cary, Gill, and 17 volunteers raced to create as many cards as possible during an all-day crafting session held at Broadfield Community Centre on June 30.

The group also raised £60 for the Alzheimer’s Society’s Cupcake Challenge. Crawley Open House provides support and services for those suffering the effects of homelessness, unemployment, loneliness, discrimination, or other forms of social exclusion.

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On Thursday July 19, Cary and Gill presented the cards to the shelter, where they will be given as birthday cards to service users. Cary and Gill work as Independent Demonstrators for crafting company Stampin’ Up! They regularly hold classes under the banner ‘2 Big Girls Crafting’. No strangers to philanthropy, they also held an event last year which saw 350 cards made for donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Cary said: “My customers and I really enjoyed last year’s charity card making event and we wanted to do something similar this year.

“We came up with the idea of donating the cards to a homeless shelter and when I rang up Crawley Open House they were really enthusiastic about the idea. The shelter likes to give each of their clients a birthday card every year so this was perfect for them.

“To receive something personal and handmade when you have so little means so much. It’s a small gesture but it goes such a long way towards showing people that you respect them and see them as a human being.”