When I was approached by The KLC London School of Design to design a Christmas wreath for charity Place2Be, I was super excited as my wreath was to be one of ten designer wreaths to be won and designers included were Taylor Howes Designs, Kit Kemp, Martin Brudnizki and David Collins Studio. (I know!!)
But leaving aside the gratitude I feel for the chance of rubbing shoulders with such massive names of the design world, fundraising is really the purpose of my involvement: Place2Be is a charity close to my heart and the work they do in schools with children is vital. Children with mental health issues are often overlooked, left in their corners or merely labelled as trouble-makers until it is too often too late. We need charities like Place2Be to help save these children's lives and help them thrive. These children are our future. So please, enter the raffle to win my wreath at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/KLC-School-of-Design. It's just £10 per ticket, and it will make a real difference. Winners will be announced on 26th November!
Christmas is an opportunity for us all to celebrate life, love and togetherness including showing our love and respect to Mother Earth so that she will allow us to remain with her for many Christmases to come. I chose to make a twig wreath to represent the supportive quality of the Natural World, the peacock feathers stand for beauty and also protection, for many centuries they were associated with the warding-off of evil spirits.
The faux mistletoe stands for eternal life, love and good luck and the pine cones symbolise human enlightenment. In the centre of the wreath hangs a hand-crafted bauble representing our world and the message that Christmas is a time for everyone to come together and celebrate wherever they are, whoever they are, whatever they believe.
...Seeing ten of the biggest names in the design world (including @kitkempdesignthread @martinbrudnizki and @davidcollinsstudio) included, makes you realise just what a unique and rather special raffle this is. And of course, amongst those ten, on behalf of our business associate @klcschool who generously offered the opportunity for an Associate of the House of Upcycling to represent them, our very own Dominique Malacarne of @malphor. It’s no mean feat that this highly talented lady from Oxford’s name is included in such a stellar line-up of design luminaries and a sign of the times that professional upcycling is becoming an accepted part of the interior design landscape. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Place2Be Carol Concert, founded by Taylor Howes CEO Karen Howes and husband Andrew and is an annual celebration with live music and performances from world-class actors and celebrities, taking place in London in early December, in partnership with @countryandtownhouse magazine .... thanks so much for your raffle bid design lovers and good luck!
Chris Billinghurst, The House of Upcycling
About Place2Be
Place2Be is a children's mental health charity that works to improve the emotional wellbeing of children and young people by providing counselling services in our partner schools throughout the UK. We help them to cope with wide-ranging and often complex social issues including bullying, bereavement, domestic violence, family breakdown, neglect and trauma.
5 key facts about children's mental health
- 3 children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health problem
- Half of those with lifetime mental health issues first experience symptoms by the age of 14
- Depression and anxiety amongst teenagers have increased by 75% in the past 25 years
- Children are less likely to suffer from serious mental health difficulties later in life if they receive support at an early age
- Mental health problems in children and young people result in an increased cost to the public purse and to wider society.
