Craft4Smiles C.I.C.
We are a group of people from different backgrounds and life experiences who live in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and who, through paper crafting, have found our smiles again. Smiles are infectious. We would love to share ours with you and through you to others. Because we have all experienced the benefit of paper crafting for our own wellbeing, we are passionate about it, and want to help as many people as possible to start crafting or to develop the crafting skills they already have.
We offer high quality paper crafting and mixed media courses for individuals, groups and organizations, craft tutor training and volunteering opportunities. Based on the unique techniques and designs developed for our craft groups, we have produced craft kits and embellishments - 'elegant bits' - so that you can produce something unique for your home or the homes of the important people in your life as a gift. If you aren't a crafter yourself, but love unique designs, we have turned our crafting activities and designs into unique home décor and stationery products which we display and sell in our Shop so that you too can share some of our experiences.
Our Courses
Pop-ups and 10 Week and Year Long Courses
Our courses are delivered live online or in-person (face to face). They are fun, social events that allow new connections and friendships to be made. For online courses and events, materials and tools are provided and posted in advance. Anything left over is the property of the participant. To help to make our courses accessible, many of them are offered free of charge. We offer pop-up/taster events, 5 and 10 week short courses and a 1 to 2 year long From Beginner to Advanced Crafter: Introduction to Paper Crafting Course. Participants in our courses can display and sell the beautifully crafted items they have made in our shop, with 70% of the price going to the individual, and the balance being reinvested in Craft4Smiles C.I.C. We can adapt all of our courses to meet the needs of any group or organization. To find out more, click on one of the course leaflet icons below.
We are currently running an in person From Beginner to Advanced Crafter: Introduction to Papercraft course in Peterborough on a Monday in Peterborough Central Library from 11.00 - 13.00 and 3 online courses for people living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We are also working with Lifecraft, Cambridge, on a Wednesday from 11.30 - 13.30. We also run monthly Pop-ups with the Scott Polar Research Institute, each with an 'Antarctic' theme. Revisit this page for information about these and other events that we will be running over the year. Copy this link into your browser to go to our Facebook page to see what course participants have made: https://www.facebook.com/craft4smilescic
Workforce wellbeing is of increasing concern. We run fun events for team awaydays and courses to support individuals returning from absence/sick leave.
To discuss any of the above, email fiona@craft4smiles-cic.org.uk.
Funding
We are a Community Interest Company and therefore non-profit. Any surplus is re-invested in the company. Some of the people who are likely to benefit the most from Craft4Smiles C.I.C. courses may not be able to pay to join one. We therefore offer our courses free of charge to those who cannot afford to do so. Currently, we are funded by Trusts and Community organizations with Peterborough Council of Volutary Service and Near Neighbours being our main sponsors. This support has enabled us to reach people who are not able to fund the courses we offer for themselves and we are very grateful for their support.
Our sessions are 2 hours long and cost £60. You can help us by making a donation - any amount, however small, will help someone to join a course and: £7.50 buys 15 mins, £15 buys 30 mins, £30 buys 60 mins, £60 buys 2 hours.
There are 3 ways you can help more people accesss our courses:
1. By making a donation: donate here now.
2. Commissioning a Bespoke Card For Your Family and Friends: as part of our fund raising strategy, our skilled crafters are making beautiful boxed cards for the people you love. In return, a donation will be made to Craft4Smiles! Just email fiona@craft4smiles-cic.org.uk and she will be in touch to discuss the person's likes/interests and what you have in mind and she will choose the crafter who is best equipped to make the card for you. Contact us at least 1 week before you need the card. The more notice we have the better! Click on this link to see some examples of what we have already made for people and/or click here to go to our Shop to see what can be made.
3. Purchasing from Our Shop: 30% of the cost of the item goes to Craft4Smiles C.I.C. to help to cover the cost of running the shop, 70% goes to the individual who made the item. Pricing: Postage and packing is included in the price - you will pay no more than the price displayed by the item you have chosen.