As a small charity we are always incredibly grateful for any support that we receive to help us to care for the collection and to deliver our annual public programmes. Now we’ve made it easier than ever to support the work that we do through online giving using The Big Give and Facebook.
So why should you support us? Well - everything we do is aimed at helping people - you could say through unlocking their inner creativity or overloading their outer creativity with the gorgeousness that is our collection. The experiences that we deliver have had profound and positive life changing effects on mental wellbeing, life skills, confidence levels, reducing isolation, and helping people to feel part of a community - all through participation in craft – sounds simple? – well it is! But incredibly powerful!
In our 60th anniversary year we’re celebrating our global craft heritage through a fabulous exhibition programme and creating new opportunities for people to take part in crafts by working with education and community organisations from across the region. But we don’t just want to stop there, we want to do more – much more! We would love as many people as possible to get involved to help us ensure that our collection inspires communities, individuals, academic researchers, artists, designers and makers not just now, but for many more years to come!
At well over 30,000 items, our collection is one of the most significant, diverse, interesting and encyclopaedic textile collections in the UK. And if that’s not enough - it is the only dedicated textile collection of its size and variety in the region. To have this collection of world textiles in the heart of Pennine Lancashire - an area built on textiles, is hey…well we think….just amazing! And not just for us but for the whole of Lancashire…the north of England…even the world! Probably.
Looking after over 30,000 items is a mammoth task but we have a small, perfectly formed team of dedicated staff and volunteers doing a fantastic job of it. We want to share the collection with as many people as possible from all ages, cultures and backgrounds, including ensuring that wherever possible we can offer things for free - so any help that you give us, helps us to help someone else who needs it!
Explore our website for more information about how you can get involved with us and get in touch if you have any other questions – we’d love to hear from you!
