Empowering Single Mothers & Spreading Joy, One Christmas Cracker at a Time
For this festive season, we ran a 3 week Christmas Sock Cracker Employment Project in partnership with Home-Start Camden & Islington to bring joy to families in need and create employment opportunities for two incredible single mothers supported by Home-Start!
We are so honoured to have been working with these two exceptional women, Natia, a resilient mother of one and Eunice, an incredible mother of two. Natia and Eunice have been hard at work, hand-crafting Christmas sock crackers that embody the spirit of the season.
They have brought their creativity and unwavering determination to the heart of our Christmas project and we can’t thank them enough. Together, we crafted eco-friendly Christmas sock crackers with bamboo socks, made entirely plastic-free and with lots of love. Our Sock Cracker Project has providing a meaningful source of income for these dedicated mothers facing challenging circumstances as well as help them gain valuable work experience so that they can eventually get back into the workforce.
The Women:
Working with Natia and Eunice from Home-Start has been a journey of creativity and dedication. We worked with them over three weeks on the design of the crackers, the precision of crafting and the personalisation of each cracker. Every sock cracker has been meticulously handcrafted by the women with such attention to detail and love instilled through each piece. The crafting sessions were filled with joy and the ladies were so fast to problem-solve and learn new skills, including the photography of the crackers themselves showcased below!
(Photo by Eunice)
(Photo by Natia)
(Behind the scenes)
The Impact:
Our collaboration with Home-Start Islington & Camden went beyond crafting beautiful Christmas crackers. Natia and Eunice became valued members of our team and we are proud to have been working with them, providing a platform for their talents and dedication.
Here’s what they had to say about their experience:
"I don't know how to express the joy and pleasure I experienced working with Leiho. Thank you all for such pleasant working hours. It is very sad that I can no longer continue doing such a pleasant job as I had with Leiho. Thank you all" - Natia
"Having a job can bring numerous positive changes to a person's life. Firstly, working with Leiho provided a sense of purpose and fulfilment. The opportunity for financial stability that comes with a job that empowered me to support myself and my loved ones. The experience has been a great one. The ladies at Leiho were very encouraging and supportive and created such a warm and safe space to work in. The brand and what it stands for is in alignment with own beliefs and so having the opportunity to work for them was a true blessing. Overall, a job can greatly enhance a person's well-being, confidence, and overall quality of life. This is exactly how my work experience at Leiho has been." - Eunice
"Our collaboration with Leiho has been the project that just keeps giving. They were so in tune to the needs of our mums and were completely flexible at every stage so that everyone was comfortable and confident. Leiho were so committed to making sure that the project was as beneficial to us and our supported mums as it was to them - they really became a part of the Home-Start family. This will be the model we use for all future collaborations!" - Naomi, CEO of Home-Start Camden & Islington
The Joy of Giving and Making a Difference:
This festive season, the ladies made a total of 400 crackers that are available for purchase on our website [insert link] and at our Christmas pop-ups around the UK. Check out on our website if we are coming anywhere near you [link]. Why not choose our sock crackers this Christmas to share with your loved ones around your Christmas table, sharing the spirit of giving whilst contributing to the wellbeing of the Home-Start community. A celebration of the true spirit of the season!
A Huge Thank You:
Our collaboration with Home-Start Islington & Camden embodies the spirit of unity, compassion and the essence of Christmas itself. Through the talent and commitment of our wonderful craftswomen, we not only created beautiful Christmas sock crackers, but hope to have helped to bring brighter futures to these two inspiring single mothers.
If you'd like to support our work and get your hands on these eco-friendly crackers and baubles, check them out on our Christmas shop here! (They make great stocking fillers or even secret Santa gifts for your friends and colleagues at work!)
Written by: Bella Hayward