Who We Are
Our Board/Directors
Fiona Adley, Co-Founder/Director
I am passionate about helping to ensure that people who, because of difficulties with their mental health and life challenges they face, find that they are not able to fulfil their potential/participate fully in their communities. I have been lucky enough to live and breathe this passion, through my years working in the NHS and with Councils. In August 2019, my husband, Gray and I set up an independent organization for which this is the sole focus. We were registered as a C.I.C. in November 2019.
I first came to Cambridge in October 2016 and soon after met Gray - ballroom dancing. We had both decided that we wanted to learn something new and, fortunately, this brought us together. If we hadn't decided to set out on new pathways, we might never have met. Very soon after meeting Gray, I discovered that he was passionate about crafting, a natural teacher and passionate about using the learning from the various challenges that he had navigated throughout his life to help others. I have learned a myriad of crafts over the last 3 years and we now spend most of our time in the our craft room at our home in Papworth Everard.
I always wanted to set up my own organization. Meeting Gray has gave me that opportunity. Developing Craft4Smiles has required the application of all the skills and experience gained in previous roles and the acquisition of many new ones including crafting skills, social media and finance and business management within the private sector as a non-profit limited company.
Grahame Adley, Co-Founder/Director
Life has presented me with a number of challenges and opportunities and I was keen to help people who are struggling encountering various difficulties to build the confidence and skills they need to progress and improve their mental health. I found that crafting filled the gap and challenges created by the death, due to cancer, of my wife, Chris. I spent the next 12 years learning, and acquiring the equipment and materials and then met Fiona.
When I met Fiona, I was considering volunteering to work with a charity as a craft tutor. Through Fiona's contacts in mental health care, I started to explore the opportunities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and was lucky with the timing finding the opportunity to pursue this as a tutor with Lifecraft, Cambridge who had just succeded in a bid to the People's Trust for funding for crafting, art and signing activities. Evidently, this was 'just meant to be'! I found that, as I had hoped, I was able to help a number of people and that we could have a lot of fun along the way.
I delivered numerous classes, and worked with 87 different people over the next 2 years. This included running some classes in Newmarket when Lifecraft opened a part time basis. When the 2 years of People's Trust funding came to an end, Fiona and I decided that the activity had been so enjoyable and succesful, that we would continue to run the group on a voluntary basis. That was in August 2019. In November, we were registered as C.I.C. with Companies House and have worked hard to develop Craft4Smiles over that time. Between us, Fiona and I have worked with 280 Cambridgeshire residents during this time and I have delivered over 800 online lessons via Zoom!
Michela Marchi Bartolozzi, Director
Photo and full profile to follow.
Michela joined the Board in September 2023. She has participated in our face-to-face courses and is currently completing the online 'From Beginner to Advanced Crafter Course'. She has volunteered for Craft4Smiles for over 2 years and is currently running one of our weekly face-to-face groups in Peterborough as part of her training to become a tutor. She brings her own unique life experience and skills as an accountant to the Board.
Sarah Sullivan, Director
Photo and full profile to follow.
Sarah joined the Board in May 2024. She brings her own unique life experience and skills as a company Director to the Board.