Craft Coop wants your arty hearts
Town centre: Shop joins football club's charity fundraiser
Craft Coop is the first business to support Maidenhead United in raising £150,000 for charities in the Royal Borough.
The Magpies 150 Challenge, which marks the York
Road club’s 150th anniversary during the 2020/21 season, was launched last month.
The money raised will be divided equally between 15 charities in Windsor and Maidenhead which have been left struggling in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To raise the significant sum the club is calling on the community to take on a sponsored 1.5, 15, or 150-related challenge, individually or in groups, and donate their fundraising efforts to the cause.
Deborah Jones, director of Craft Coop in Nicholsons said: “We thought it was really lovely that the Magpies were supporting so many of the really essential charities in town.”
Although she said the craftspeople who sell their products in the store were ‘having a hard time trying to decide how we were going to help out’ they thought of a creative and
heartfelt way.
“We’ve got a lovely window display right now that says ‘thank you’ and what we wanted to do was to invite the community to help us with the window,” she said.
“What we’re saying is bring us in a heart and donate £1 and that will go to the Magpies 150 challenge, and Craft Coop will match it [up to £150].”
The hearts can be any size, made of any material, including card, paper and fabric, and include a message.
“We’re hoping to get 150 hearts to fill our window with and we just think it would be such a lovely way to say thank you to all the people who’ve helped out over the last couple of months – NHS workers, carers, postmen or neighbours – and also to give back to the charities who are really, really struggling now and also to take part in this fabulous challenge.”
So far, the store only has 10 hearts and Deborah says 150 is ‘a huge number’ to get.
“I’m not sure if we can actually collect 150 hearts so that is the challenge to the community,” she said.
Maidenhead United FC community development officer, Helen Park said: “We are thrilled to have Craft Coop on board as our first business partner and extremely grateful for the effort they are putting in to raise money for the Magpies 150 Challenge.”
The club is talking to other local businesses about becoming a Magpies 150 Challenge business partner and is encouraging any other businesses that are interested in getting involved to contact Helen by emailing helen@maidenheadunited fc.org
Contribute hearts to
Craft Coop’s challenge by dropping them into the store, which is now open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-2pm.
Check the Craft Coop's Facebook page for further updates on opening times as these may change.
Find out more about the Magpies 150 Challenge at www.magpies150challenge.co.uk