Community Workshops with Clarion Futures

Mads do & Mend CIC has been collaborating with Clarion Futures since 2022 with projects for local residents within Clarion Housing in Lewisham and Southwark Boroughs. We have successfully run events from pop-up sewing workshops, stalls at Rotherhithe Festival and The Queens Jubilee celebrations in collaboration with Clarion Futures. These have now evolved into weekly Mending Hubs in Lee and Rotherhithe for Clarion residents and also the wider local community. People bring items of clothing/ textiles to repair or renew and we provide all the equipment and knowledge with experienced teachers on hand to help people undertake these tasks for free. This enables us to practically and creatively explore our clothing impact and offer sustainable solutions for people to learn the vital skills to mend what they own. We have grown in popularity and more importantly, need. The impacts of the cost of living crisis have been profound and through seeking funding opportunities and collaborations we are proud we can offer solutions for the local community, to alleviate some of these pressures. To date we have mended school uniforms, adjusted curtains, made household items from scrap fabric, learned to knit and crochet, patched denim, made nighties from duvets and countless other projects that have supported people to reduce lessen waste and reduce costs. We have regular cohorts of residents and locals who attend and we not only provide practical help, but our community workshops offer a space for people to connect and chat with many making it a regular part of their week. Its sewing, but social: a mindful approach to mending.