Giving Back

One of our key values at Inspirations is giving back and what better time to be generous than when we gather together? At Beating Around the Bush 2018 we once again chose to support Fine Cell Work.

Fine Cell Work trains prisoners in the skills of creative needlework. The skills learnt, with needle and thread, enable prisoners to earn money from finished pieces which are made during the long hours spent in their cells.

You can learn more about this amazing charity and even purchase products the prisoners have made at their website HERE.

Through events at this year’s BATB including Quiz Night, An Evening with Nicola and Phillipa and Gala Dinner, the incredibly generous Beating Around the Bush ‘tribe’ raised almost AU$3,500 which is something we can all be tremendously proud of.

Thanks to the generous support of The San Francisco School of Needlework and Design, and Michele Hill and Anna Scott in collaboration with Nicola Jarvis, we had the privilege of holding a live charity auction at our Gala Dinner, with 100% of the proceeds going to support the work of some very worthy causes.

With proceeds being donated to Fine Cell Work, The San Francisco School of Needlework and Design generously donated a certificate to attend a week-long personalised needlework experience at their studios on Union Square in San Francisco. Not only did we raise AU$760, but our generous winner is now planning a trip to the US to make the most of her purchase!

‘Blue Birds and Berries’, a silk work cushion designed by Nicola Jarvis (pictured above left) and stitched by Anna Scott, fetched AU$350, with all monies raised going to the extremely worthy cause of The Smith Family who help disadvantaged children and their families throughout Australia.

‘Birds in the Strawberry Bed’ quilt was a piece designed by Nicola Jarvis and stitched by Michele Hill. Measuring 1.40m x 1.10m, this quilt was made specifically for an exhibition at the William Morris Gallery, London in 2013. The AU$1,600 received for this item will be going to the wonderful work at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide.

Not only did each of the auction’s winners take home a ‘money can’t buy’ needlework must-have, but their incredible generosity will be most appreciated by each of the charities represented.