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Eight week turnaround: Jimmy’s Story
“There’s only so long you can sit and spend your time looking at four walls” says Jimmy, reflecting on his life just eight weeks ago. “I would wake up any time and sit in my room doing nothing all day, and so I thought I’d get my referral put in and start coming here.” Jimmy heard… Read more »
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Coming back for more: Tom’s story
We’ve been reflecting recently about how people started to come along to Handcrafted in the first place. Tom told us how he began to get involved. “I’d been unemployed for a few years and one day when I was at the Job Centre they told me that I’d needed to go on a course and… Read more »
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Walking miracle: Brian’s Story
Life can sometimes seem to have a way of pulling the rug out from under our feet just when we least expect it. Brian had been making his way to work when he has hit by a van – he ended up in a coma and spent best part of 2 months in hospital. When… Read more »
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It’s not all about woodwork: Paul’s Story
We start each day in our workshop by gathering everyone together for what has come to be known as ‘the huddle’. It’s the time when we chat through the day ahead, discuss plans, ask for or offer to help and of course share any news. We’ve recently shared a couple of stories on our blog… Read more »
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Love You to the Moon and Back
A trip to the handcrafted workshop may not be on the list of ‘things to do’ for many prospective bride and grooms but it certainly was for Jimi and Megan. They asked for our help to create a special something for their reception. Whilst most couples getting married hope their wedding day will be ‘out… Read more »
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Brought back to life: Graham’s Story
Graham is a regular at Handcrafted; if you were to ever visit our workshop he’d definitely be one of the first guys to come and introduce himself and see if he could help you in anyway. You’d be forgiven for feeling he was one of life’s naturally outgoing and confident people, but the journey he’s… Read more »
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The accidental woodworker: Lauren’s Story
At Handcrafted we do our very best to offer a really warm welcome for all who come along, no matter how people came to find us. Over the years we’ve been continually blessed by the wide variety of routes by which people have made their way to our workshop – word of mouth, referrals from… Read more »
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What a difference a day makes: Dean’s Story
We’re continually inspired by the progress made and the creativity unlocked as trainees get involved with Handcrafted. We asked Dean if we could share his story on our blog, and this is it, in his own words. “I had a longstanding alcohol problem that had been going on for a number of years. It cost… Read more »
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Meet Luke!
Luke came to us in the summer of 2016 from a homeless hostel. He struggled with this environment, feeling cut off from the outside world and facing financial challenges which often meant he struggled to buy food for the day. He was encouraged to come to Handcrafted by another on of our trainee’s, Luke said at… Read more »
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Confidence built, mood lifted.
Trevor is one of our trainees who has been coming along to Handcrafted since March 2016. We asked him what difference Handcrafted has made in his life… “A friend tried to get me to go to Handcrafted for 18 months. People told me I was no good so I didn’t come. Then I thought I… Read more »
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Canadian Connection
Dylan moved to the UK all the way from Canada and started volunteering with us through an internship placement with his Church. Back home, Dylan really enjoyed woodwork and told us how excited he was about putting his skills into practice… “I love how Handcrafted provides a place for people to come from any background… Read more »
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Dyed in the wool NUFC supporter caught red and white handed
We’re breaking down barriers at handcrafted! Anyone who has been in the Northeast for more than a week or two knows there is no love lost between rival fans of the two biggest local teams. The rivalry gives rise to plenty of banter in the workshop. Mark has been a Newcastle United supporter all his… Read more »