Jeanette Gill Special Award for Veterans Woodcraft CIC

In March this year Veterans Woodcraft CIC was awarded our £15,000 Jeanette Gill Gold Special Award towards tools and machinery for their woodcraft workshops. Due to their rapid recent growth and the fallout from the Covid pandemic they were seeing a huge increase in the number of people seeking help with their mental health issues and searching for a pathway for reintegration with their local community after spending so long in social isolation.

Having added space after their landlord gave them the use of another building, they were desperately in need of more tools and machinery for their beneficiaries to use due to the growing demand for a wider range of activities.

This helping hand will enable their service users to spend more time in the workshops developing a wider range of skills, improving their mental health and wellbeing, whilst also helping to develop their social networks and reduce social isolation.

They now not only deliver woodworking and arts workshops, but also a range of heritage skills. So, anything from woodturning, wood machining, and bench joinery to drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, spinning and computer-controlled 3D printing. They are now in the process of setting up a performing arts workshop and have just been donated a stage for this. They will also be able to deliver such sessions as yoga and Tai-Chi, which will have big benefits for all their beneficiaries. 

These workshops help greatly to build confidence, reduce social isolation and increase social networks, whilst also keeping their beneficiaries active and increasing their chances of making many new friends. This has a tremendous effect on people’s quality of life and enables them to come out and find enjoyment in the workshops. The feedback report states that you only have to witness them leaving the workshops to see how happy they are after attending them.

We're really pleased that this Jeanette Gill Gold Special Award has made a real difference to everyone at Veterans Woodcraft CIC.

These special awards were made possible thanks to a very generous legacy in 2019 left by Jeanette Gill, who was a resident at Marriott House Care Home in Chichester. We will launch the next and final round of our Jeanette Gill Special Awards early in the new year.