NOAH Enterprise wood and sewing clubs

During the pandemic, I started working for NOAH Enterprise in Luton as their Employment Support & Sustainability Co-ordinator   https://www.noahenterprise.org/

NOAH Enterprise is a charity which seeks, out of Christian conviction, to help the most disadvantaged in the local community. Particularly, it is concerned with providing a practical, empowering and caring service to people who are homeless, particularly those who are temporary or entrenched rough sleepers, and those who are marginalised and socially excluded, or have simply fallen into poverty.

 

One of my roles is to find volunteering opportunities for people who are not yet ready to engage with full time employment because of health reasons, English language issues or lack of skills and confidence.

 

During the pandemic these opportunities dried up so I had to look at creating opportunities.

Out of this dilemma sewing club and wood club were born.  We have no funding for them, other than my wages and run them with two specialist volunteers and materials that we get for free or are given to us.

People can attend these groups if they don’t qualify for funded programmes .i.e. wrong postcode, no NI number, wrong age etc and as they run on a continual weekly basis they can come and go as they please.  Some students will attend intermittently depending on what is going on for them in their lives.

We start with where people are at.

Strictly speaking, I started with where my skilled volunteer tutors were at – Denise who was a professional seamstress and Dave who ran his own joinery company for 28 years.

 

Ideally in sewing club, we began with the idea of repairing or making things to sell in the NOAH shops, but often people who come have a range of needs themselves and these have to be met in part before they can engage altruistically.  Denise starts with getting them to use a sewing machine.  We graduate through cushions, bags, quilts etc to them making clothes for themselves or family members.  Denise is perpetually on the go, fixing old machines where possible, helping with cutting out and advising on a range of sewing queries.

Sewing Club meets at Community House every Tuesday 1-4pm – 15, New Bedford Road LU1 1SA.

Wood Club meets, courtesy of the generosity of the landlady Alison, in the back yard of The Bricklayers’ Arms, High Town Road, every Thursday morning between 9.30am – 12.30am.  We focus on items we can make from recycled wood such as pallets and the range currently includes bird boxes, planters, wooden storage containers with jute rope and ornamental shelves.

 

How could you help?

We will always need wood and sewing materials.

We also need places to sell our items and people to buy them.

Bespoke requests may be possible.

 

Contact Hazel on 07930 854163