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Handcrafted Projects is a Christian Charity set up in 2012 to equip and encourage disadvantaged adults to turn their own lives around. We run a busy carpentry workshop, a landscaping project, renovate houses with homeless people for them to move into, and are helping people start their own businesses. These are the means we currently use to achieve our main purpose of enabling people to find that they have the skills, confidence and self-esteem to re-build their lives and contribute to their communities.
We aim to empower some of the most disadvantaged people in County Durham to turn their own lives around. Handcrafted works with people who genuinely want to be active, contributing members of the community but struggle with homelessness, poor mental health, addictions, family breakdown, offending or complex needs. We provide the support, mentoring, practical help and opportunities that they need to change their futures.
We involve people in meaningful and empowering training and experience doing woodwork, landscape gardening and property renovation projects. Through this we teach both practical and social skills. Trainees can then progress onto our Enterprise project to set up their own business or start an apprenticeship. Our property renovation project leads to supported accommodation for trainees who are homeless or at risk of homelessness - giving them a home they have already taken pride and ownership over.
The positive routine of coming to our woodwork or gardening projects keeps our trainees engaged and focused, equipping them to defeat dependency on drugs and alcohol and engage positively with the local community. As our trainees develop skills we encourage them to share what they have learned, teaching their peers in the group, and in doing so discover their own value and develop self-confidence.
We have strong partnerships with the organisations who refer their clients to us, such as the local Changing Lives homeless hostel, the Probation Service, Groundwork and Stonham Services. We also have good links with local churches and Christian charities such as Junction42.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Contact: Dan Northover, Managing Director |