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Patchwork Story

A young black girl dressed in a red polo neck and a tartan dress receives a wrapped Christmas gift from a black Father Christmas at a party organised by the charity Cianna's Smile. The girl takes the gift and looks really happy.
Patchwork StorySchools and community

Cianna’s Smile – Sickle Cell Charity Fundraising

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Cianna’s Smile is a charity providing support and education for UK families affected by Sickle Cell Anaemia. Founder Hayley King set up the charity after her daughter Cianna, who has Sickle Cell Anaemia, experienced a traumatic admission at their local hospital. Hayley felt that there was a lack of awareness of the condition in the medical profession and no support locally for families affected by it. Cianna’s Smile exists to change that. The team at Cianna’s Smile organise a variety of activities and events throughout the year to support families. From awareness campaigns to carer’s lunches, wellness days to art therapy boxes. Hayley talks to us today about how Patchwork has helped bring their fundraising to life.

What kinds of fundraisers have you hosted on Patchwork?

We have used Patchwork several times to raise money. In 2020 we used the platform to fund 50 art therapy bags for children living with Sickle Cell and we recently held a raffle to raise money to fund a day out for families affected by Sickle Cell. We aimed to raise enough to cover the funds needed for our projects. We are currently using Patchwork to run our Christmas Fundraiser where people can choose to fund anything from a pack of colouring pencils or an ice-cream sundae to a horse-riding lesson or a virtual cooking class!

Why did using Patchwork to raise funds appeal to you?

Most other fundraising platforms limit the donor to just donate an amount of money. We love that when using Patchwork donors can choose what they are funding and also we have added the opportunity for people to donate their time which we absolutely love. It means that the campaign is accessible to everyone and also appealing for every budget.

How easy was it to set up your Patchwork fundraising page?

It is super easy. We love that you can add different images so that people can scroll through and check which is most appealing to them. 

How did Patchwork help your fundraising campaign?

It was great in achieving our goal as we could easily share the unique link with our supporters and the funds raised were sent to us directly via Stripe.

How was your Patchwork page received by your supporters?

We received great feedback from supporters. We particularly loved how easy it was to use and that you could read the lovely messages left by supporters and donors. 

Would you recommend Patchwork to other small charities looking to fundraise?

Absolutely! It is a great platform that is user friendly and safe. We love the templates! It makes it really quick when setting up a campaign. 

Thank you so much Hayley for talking to us today about the brilliant work that you do supporting families living with Sickle Cell Anaemia. We’re so pleased that Patchwork could help with your fundraising!

If you’d like to contribute to Cianna’s Smile Christmas fundraiser please click here. If you’d like to set up your own fundraising page for a charity or project, we’ve made it super easy with our customisable templates. Or if you’re feeling creative you can start your own from scratch.

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a globe on a light pink sunset background. The globe is 50% planet earth and 50% disco ball and has the numbers 50 50 across it
Patchwork PerspectivePatchwork Story

The gift registry that gives back to the planet.

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

Patchwork Gift Registry was built to bring joy, reduce waste and make gift giving meaningful and we’ve loved helping over 120,000 of you celebrate together since we launched in 2016.

We feel really good about what we’ve achieved so far as an independent, woman-led business. But in 2022 it’s time to do more. The urgency of the climate crisis, together with the fact that we still have time (just) to make an impact, means an exciting new chapter, and challenge, for Patchwork.

From now, we are going 50/50, split down the middle (yes HALF and HALF) with planet earth. For every single penny we take as platform fees, we give half to environmental charities. Not 1% of profits, not greenwashing, tree planting or vague promises. A rock solid, no-messing, 50% of all fee revenue going directly to environmental organisations that are fighting for the future of our beautiful home planet.

Party for the planet.

At Patchwork, we love parties, and we want to have a planet to party on forever. So now, whatever you use Patchwork to celebrate you’ll be helping keep our planet in better shape for future party people. Whether you’re celebrating a wedding, a baby shower, a big birthday, a new business or anything else you can think of it’s a total win / win. You get to organise the best present or party ever, and enjoy getting friends together to help you with all the things you really want and need. And you can feel good knowing you’re giving back to the planet at the same time. This really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Who we support.

We’ve been working on our new business model in secret for a while now, and a big part of the process was deciding which environmental charities we wanted to partner with. We couldn’t be happier, prouder or more excited to be partnering with three absolutely amazing organisations:

ClientEarth – using the power of law to hold corporations and governments to account and drive systemic change to protect the planet and all that inhabit it.

Friends of the Earth – combining environmental research and public awareness campaigns to put pressure on governments to commit to genuine climate action.

Survival International – working with Indigenous peoples to defend human rights, protect sacred land and share wisdom from the ‘world’s best conservationists’ about how to live in harmony with nature.

Their commitment and dedication to planet earth and all its inhabitants are inspirational. The successes that they’ve had to date are also hugely motivating for us, and we hope for you too.

So from now, every time someone signs up to use Patchwork for a present, a project or a party, 50% of our platform fee will go direct to one of these three charities.

It’s not the least we can do – it’s the MOST we can do; and we’re doing it.

Two ways to pay – two ways to protect our home planet.

There are two simple payment options when you use Patchwork for any occasion. The first option is our single one-off fee of £50 (£25 of which goes directly to the charity of your choice). This option is best suited if you’re using Patchwork for a honeymoon fund or wedding registry and need a fairly long lead time of more than 8 months. It also means your charity of choice gets an upfront donation so your money can get to work straight away.

Our other option is a monthly subscription of just £6 per month with your first month free (£3 of that goes to your choice of charity every month). A subscription works best if your event has a shorter lead time or if you plan on using Patchwork on more than one occasion. It also means the charity of your choice gets a regular monthly donation to keep on doing the important work that’s needed.

Whichever you choose, you’ll not only be enjoying using the best registry / honeymoon fund / group gift platform in the world ever, you’ll also get that extra feel-good knowing your money is doing incredible things. Double joy.

Don’t snatch, share

It’s one of Patchwork’s founding principles and the first piece of advice we were given as kids. And the motto our Nan taught us to live by: ‘Don’t snatch, share’.

Life is not about what we have, own or take; it’s about what we give, share and how we support one another. Both in the good times and the not so good times. It’s one of the things people love most about Patchwork, the way it brings people together, to pool resources and share talents. To allow people to give generously in a way that involves everyone, and excludes no-one. Where time and skill and love are valued as much or even more than monetary gifts. Using Patchwork not only makes everyone feel good, it means we can best use the resources we already have, consume waste less and protect our planet more.

Join us

One of the most unexpected and wonderful things we’ve experienced from a business point of view has been this sense of sharing, inclusion and generosity from our industry friends. Small businesses that have rallied round each other, stuck together and supported each other through the many ups and downs of the last few years. We know we are stronger when we work together and collaborate. As we move forwards and explore what business unusual might look like, we hope as many of our friends and colleagues will join and support us in doing ALL we can. The planet needs us to. We wouldn’t have got this far without their amazing support and we won’t be able to make this a success without your support.

So please share this news, spread the word and show your love, and together, we can make something really amazing happen – for all of us.

Follow us on Insta, sign up to our newsletter, or start celebrating with a Patchwork of your own!

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Nice biscuit at Patchwork launch party
Patchwork PerspectivePatchwork Story

The New Business Shower that launched Patchwork

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

When we started Patchwork we didn’t do it alone. We did it with help from colleagues, friends and family. Which is what Patchwork is all about so it felt totally natural and right. And it now feels right to be helping others do the same with a Patchwork New Business Shower.

Back then, when I needed to raise funds, I did it through an off-line, real world crowdfund. This money came from people who were professional peers. They were people who loved and supported the idea of Patchwork, had a bit of money in the bank getting no interest and were happy to invest in exchange for equity in the business. Using the EIS scheme to invest was reassuring as their money was in part protected by the government and their investment could be offset in their tax bill.

Patchwork didn’t exist at that point (obviously) so the evening I presented my idea to a room of 35 potential investors. I had a site mock up, a pitch deck and a breakdown of how the money we needed to be raised would be used. I literally created a ‘patchwork’ of images to represent everything including a front end and back end developer (complete with cheeky bum pic).

At the time the visualisation was just for fun. Patchwork is not a crowdfunding platform like Seedrs or CrowdCube. Those platforms are designed for people to invest funds in exchange for equity. Patchwork was and is designed to enable people to collectively contribute towards gifts and experiences to celebrate special occasions. However, I did use the Patchwork principle to bring to life my new business dream visually for everyone to see. This helped me to raise funds and in doing so helped me prove the power of the Patchwork concept in practice.

Putting our principles in to practice

Fast forward a few months (ok a lot of months) and we were nearly ready to launch. We had found a studio space in Brockley. It was a shop that had been empty for 8 months, was super cheap rent (at the time) and getting the keys coincided with my birthday. So of course we decided to have a party.

Whilst most of my friends and family were not in a position to be official investors in Patchwork they were all super supportive, excited for our imminent launch and really wanted to do whatever they could to help. So when people started asking what I wanted for my birthday, instead of suggesting a few books and my favourite body lotion, I put together a plan that again allowed us to put our Patchwork principles into practice.

The site wasn’t quite ready in advance. And at the time it was designed only to allow people to contribute cash gifts. But in a weird premonition of how Patchwork would evolve I suggested people do one of three things.

  • Buy booze for my birthday/business party
  • Bring something useful for our new office – some stolen stationery, unwanted crockery, a second hand printer or spare chair.
  • Offer their time and or skills to help paint or put up shelves in the studio or bring a dish or promise to DJ at the launch party.

A very Patchwork party

Everyone came to my birthday / new business party. But they didn’t just attend. They were active participants in the launch of our company! Our whole office was kitted out with second hand stuff gifted by friends, family and our new Brockley neighbours.

We had Will from the Mystery Jets sing with our sister Sophie, powered by bikes borrowed from our friend Colin at Electric Pedals. And also Ben from Power The Fight DJ, Alice and Julie to help make our signage and huge shapes for the window. Then Janie from Baked Salt making amazing food and Naomi came to take photos of the evening.

In 2015 we launched Patchwork with the ability not just to gift cash but to contribute time and skills, and today the site is being used not just to organise and fund DIY weddings, birthday parties and baby showers, but since lockdown we’ve seen a new idea emerging… new business SHOWERS!

Of course to us it’s an old idea. It’s THE idea that got us started.

Celebrate and support with Patchwork

It’s a story we’ve told but until now it’s not an idea we’ve promoted. But the current global pandemic has changed things. Whether it’s redundancies causing people to find alternative careers or furlough giving people the time and space to dream about starting something new. We’re seeing more people starting new businesses from their kitchen tables and of course we’re here to help!

Patchwork is not and will never be about equity fundraising from strangers. We recommend Seedrs for people looking to raise serious funds with all the legals tied up. We’re here to do what we do best – to help friends, families, communities and networks to come together to celebrate and support each other by gifting their cash, time and skills.

Want your own new business shower?

If you’ve got an idea for a business but need some help taking those first steps. Patchwork is the perfect way to share your idea with your community and show them the ways they can help. Because with Patchwork you can share ideas for things people can fund, make and do. It means everyone can contribute in some small way – and together make something amazing happen!

You might ask people to contribute money towards a training course, you might need specific advice from an expert, a helping hand with some DIY or some secondhand stuff! Whatever you need, you can create a totally personalised patchwork from scratch. Then share it with your community to start receiving funds, offers of help and practical support. If you’re looking for inspiration we’ve even got some readymade templates for you to customise. Just head to our New Business Shower collection page.

So that’s it. If you’re not planning a wedding or baby shower but are thinking about starting a brand new baby business, we’re here to help make it happen – with a little help from your friends. If you need any reassurance that it can work, look no further than our story. We are the proof! It’s how we got where we are and how we’re now able to help you too.

Big love and power to you. Liv and Team Patchwork.

Questions? Drop us a line at [email protected]

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NHS Xmas Card
Patchwork StorySchools and community

We Won’t Forget You – NHS Frontline Festive Thank You

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

As we turn our thoughts to thinking of others and sending gifts at Christmas time, there is a group of people who we all want to thank and show our appreciation of once again. Our NHS staff, our frontline workers who have put themselves in harms way to protect and serve us over the last 9 months. Together with our local businesses, friends and neighbours, Patchwork is supporting the Frontline Festive Thank You with the aim of delivering 100 festive gift bags to Lewisham hospital staff – can you chip in?

Lewisham hospital staff receiving their food packages during pandemic
Itohan, Ward Manager, receiving her food package back in the Spring

At the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic and during the first national lockdown, Patchwork were approached by local businesses who wanted to do something practical and positive to look after those who were looking after us. So a Patchwork page was set up and within a week, local residents had generously donated over £5,000 to deliver food parcels to staff at Lewisham hospital. All items were sourced at cost by local businesses and packaged with love, then sent with messages of thanks to staff for all they have done to look after us all.

No words or thanks or front door step clapping will ever be enough to show our collective appreciation – but sometimes in small gestures that are local and direct, we can have a meaningful impact on the lives of those who might sometimes feel unnoticed, or unappreciated.

Frontline food packages being delivered to Lewisham hospital NHS staff
Gamal – the first recipient of a food parcel during the first lockdown in the Spring

Giving together means giving more

As we approach Christmas, the second appeal is underway, this time delivering gift bags to staff, with a few treats to say thank you – including a hand cream, panettone, Christmas decorations and chocolate.

The appeal has been hosted by Patchwork and we have happily donated our fee back to Frontline so that the gifts received go even further. All donations made via the Patchwork fundraising page go directly to Frontline Festive Thank You so that they can make sure they get as many gifts as possible to such deserving staff as those working at Lewisham hospital.

No-one is overlooked, everyone’s role is important

What’s special about this initiative is that each recipient is nominated by their managers and colleagues and even those whose jobs might usually be unnoticed and whose work often goes “unsung” get the appreciation they deserve. It’s really heartwarming to see the reactions of members of staff who are nominated to receive a gift bag. It means so much to them to know they are thought of by the people in their community who they serve daily.

The first recipient of a food package back in the Spring was Gamal who works to keep the hospital clean (now more important than ever!) and the second to Geraldine, a single mum who had just come off a 12 shift stint in ITU. You can hear from Rita, one of the Matrons what these gifts meant:

How you can help support our frontline workers this Christmas

Every small action, every person, and every group of committed volunteers will help. Over and over again at Patchwork, we see amazing people coming together to show that our community is our strength. The Frontline Festive Thank You page is now open for contributions. Whether it’s £3 for some chocolate, £15 for a whole box, or even just a note of support – everyone can chip in and together we will make a real difference to the nurses, doctors and all the other NHS support staff keeping us all safe over the Christmas period and always.

Festive thank you gift bags - panettone, Christmas cracker, coffee and chocolate

If you have any other questions about the project you can contact us at [email protected]. If you’d like to set up a Patchwork page to support a community project in your local area browse our easy to customise templates.

Finally, special thanks goes to all who have kindly donated and to the local businesses and volunteers who have worked so hard to bring the Frontline Festive Thank You project to life. You have brought much needed smiles, joy and some little luxuries to our wonderful NHS staff. Thanks especially to:

Tony at Provender Delicatessen

Shai at Mont58Coffee

Nilou at Jumping Bean London

Nena at Nena Foster Foods

Vicky at Fitness for Mummies

Heather at Heather Victoria Design

Thanks as well to Robert and Daniel at Sebastian Roche, the guys at Babur Restaurant, all at Two Spoons restaurant, and the lovely Dr Mayoni for their very generous donations to this project.

And of course to local resident extraordinaire (who is not on social media!) – Julia.

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Food packages being delivered to Lewisham hospital NHS staff
Patchwork Story

Frontline Food Boxes for NHS Heroes

by Rosie Hurwitz
written by Rosie Hurwitz

We were so happy to receive a call from a group of local business owners in Brockley and hear about their brilliant idea to support NHS staff at our local hospital. Patchwork is always about bringing people together to make something amazing happen and this project really is that. Read on to find out about the Frontline Food Box project to raise funds for our NHS heroes and how a small group of lovely people had a very big impact!

Lewisham Hospital Food Box Project Patchwork

How did the Frontline Food Box project come about?

Frontline Food Boxes was set up by a small group of local business owners. They had all seen the news story of a distressed critical care nurse asking people to stop panic buying and emptying supermarket shelves of essentials. So they came together to pool resources and contacts and take practical action to help our hospital in Lewisham. The aim was to raise enough money for 100 food boxes, which would include items such as: pasta, rice, eggs, butter, fruit, vegetables and tinned goods. The parcels are being beautifully put together by the fundraising team and local businesses including Tony, the owner of the Provender delicatessen in Honor Oak. They are then being delivered by the hospital to staff they have nominated and who need some extra support at the moment.

Fruit and vegetable boxes being packed for Lewisham hospital workers

What was the initial response like?

The Frontline Food Boxes patchwork page was initially shared with friends on WhatsApp and then on local FB community pages. People visiting the fund raising page can choose to chip in £2 for some fresh veggies or a packet of biscuits, or to fund a whole food box for £25. Within 24 hours they had their first 100 boxes funded!

Julia Glyn-Pickett, one of the fundraising leads said: “The initial idea was about convenience, but also community – we know that for many reasons it hasn’t been easy for staff at the hospital, and the NHS more widely, to get regular, basic supplies. At the same time local businesses wanted to help, and we knew people would want to show their thanks individually. The support we have received, with people donating just over £5000 in a week, is amazing – by pulling together as a community we are showing our huge appreciation in a way that the hospital says makes a real difference.”

Girl putting letter in to envelope

How else can people help?

The group also had another lovely idea to get even the youngest supporters involved by asking them to write a letter (or draw a picture) of support to send by post. These notes will then be added to the food boxes to let our NHS workers know how much they are valued by us all – young and old. Julia says: “we thought it would be nice to get the kids and teens focussed on something – there’s a lot of anxiety out there and this is somewhere to channel it positively.” The team of volunteers are also printing out all the messages of support from the page, so that the staff can see all the lovely things people have said, as well as adding recipe cards and a hand cream or scented candle to the boxes, all provided at no cost by local businesses.

Owner of Provender Deli packing up food parcels for NHS staff at Lewisham Hospital
First recipient of Frontline food packages at Lewisham NHS Hospital
Food packages being delivered to staff at Lewisham NHS hospital

Who are the food boxes going to and when?

The team at Frontline delivered the first 20 boxes to Lewisham hospital on Friday 3rd April. The hospital wants to spread the support across what is likely to be a long-running period of need, to lift morale. The recipient of the first package was Gamal, who works in soft services (that means keeping the hospital clean!) and has been at the hospital for 20 years. The second package went to Geraldine who had just done 12 shifts on ITU, and the third to Robert, who heads up the stores! The packages will be delivered on a weekly basis, and handed to nominated staff as they come off their shift, allowing them go straight home to eat good food, rather than facing the supermarkets. It’s a way of rewarding staff that may have had an especially tough week, a way of making them feel really valued and special. Updates on the project are going out regularly to all those that have already donated (£5,300 raised at time of typing!) – so if that’s you – look out for those and a huge THANK YOU from all of us! We’ll be updating regularly on our own Patchwork Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram page too.

Messages of thanks tied to food packages distributed to NHS staff by Frontline food project
Readymade Patchwork template community food fund

Like to set up something similar in your community?

We’ve made an easy-to-customise template that’s ready to go when you are. Just add the details of your project and share with your local network so that everyone can do a little bit to help support our amazing key workers. Whether they are NHS staff, refuse collection workers or any of the other dedicated people who are serving their communities at this time. Every small action, every person, and every group of committed volunteers will help. At this time more than ever, our community is our strength.

If you have any other questions about the project you can contact us at [email protected] and of course the Frontline Food Boxes page is still open for contributions. Whether it’s £2 for some eggs, or £25 for a whole box, or even just a note of support – everyone can chip in and together we will make a real difference to the nurses, doctors and all the other NHS support staff keeping us all safe at this most difficult time.

A special thanks to all the local businesses and volunteers who have worked so hard to bring this idea to life. You have brought much needed smiles, joy and good food to our wonderful NHS staff. Thanks especially to:

Tony at Provender Delicatessen

Shai at Mont58Coffee

Nilou at Jumping Bean London

Nena at Nena Foster Foods

Vicky at Fitness for Mummies

And of course to Julia! x

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couple-and-their-doula-patchwork
Patchwork Story

Patchwork Story: Chloe & Jude’s Doula

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Chloe and her partner Jude are both in their early thirties and having just bought their dream home together, found out they were expecting their first child. One of Jude’s first concerns was the amount of plastic toys that might soon fill their home – while Chloe was obviously nervous about the birth itself! So she decided to kill two birds with one stone and set up a patchwork to fund a doula. That way she would get the support she needed and their family would know exactly what they could buy for them – avoiding all the plastic! We asked Chloe all about it.

Tell us more about why you set up a patchwork?

My partner’s sister introduced me to the idea of getting a Doula, someone who could answer my many questions and support us in the lead up to the birth.

After realising that the costs of a Doula can be expensive we both felt that the money our families would be eager to spend on tiny outfits and teddies would be better spent helping us feel prepared and confident about the birth and early parenthood.

After contributing to a friend’s honeymoon via Patchwork earlier in the year we thought we would create our own and family and friends could fund the help and support of a doula.

We knew that our families were eager to help us, so we wanted them to be able to do so in a way that was practical and useful.

What was the best bit about funding through patchwork?

It was lovely reading all the messages and made us feel so supported during such a special time and such a big change in our lives.

Although the birth itself didn’t go to plan, I have fond and positive emotions surrounding other aspects of the birth and labour and our Doula contributed massively to this. And memories last forever

How were you feeling in the lead up to your birth?

Being the first in our group of friends to venture into the new world of parenthood we were a little overwhelmed by all the things we needed to consider. As a mum-to-be I was eager to know about all my options but was overwhelmed by all the available information on the internet.

Why did you feel you wanted a Doula?

I wanted the continuity of care that a doula provides that unfortunately I feel is absent in today’s maternity system. Between my initial checkups the midwives would always differ from occasion to occasion and there wasn’t that feeling of having someone you know and respect to answer the many questions you will have.

That’s why having a Doula is such a magical gift as you have someone who can be with you along the whole journey who understands your concerns and worries and is able to make you feel confident and self-assured at a time of such importance. The relationship between me and my lovely Doula has continued to this day and my boy’s face always lights up when he sees her.

How did having a Doula prepare you for birth and parenthood?

The Doula answered my long list of questions over a tea at our home, she was a calm and reassuring presence. Although respecting the magnitude of the occasion she made birth feel as though it was an everyday occurrence – which of course it is!

Our time with her made us fully aware of our options in regards to the birth and during the hours after birth she was able to help greatly with breastfeeding and through the days that followed was a continual support.

Even now with our little boy being older I still attend a post-natal group my Doula runs, it is a relationship that I am sure will continue for many years to come, and with that in mind Patchwork enabled our family and friends to provide our new family with a gift that keeps giving.

Thank you Chloe, Jude and little Lenny for sharing your incredible Patchwork story with us. Inspired by their story? You can see more new parent gift ideas here.

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Patchwork Story

Patchwork Story: Lucy’s 40th Birthday Trip to Sweden

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Lucy was about to celebrate her 40th birthday and wanted to mark the occasion by doing something super special. Her husband asked her about the one gift she would appreciate the most, and she decided it would be a trip to Sweden. So Simon set up a patchwork and asked her friends to crowdfund her adventure. We asked Lucy all about it.

So why did you decide on a trip to Sweden?

Last year one of my best friends recently moved back home to Sweden to be nearer her family. We only met four years ago through work but we instantly got on and she became like a sister to me! We got really used to seeing each other regularly so it was weird and sad when she moved away. It was nice to have such a great pen pal (she sends the best parcels in the world) and I was glad she was nearer her family but I missed seeing her terribly. I don’t have a very big income and don’t often travel abroad so when my husband asked me what I really wanted, I dropped a very big hint that I’d love to go to Stockholm to have some proper time with her!

Did you peek at your patchwork before the trip?

I mentioned a few of the places Lina was planning to take me but my husband kept it all a surprise. Every so often in the lead up to my birthday I saw Simon check his emails and make the sort of noise that can only mean ‘wow your friends are being really generous!’ – but I was very disciplined and didn’t let him show me!

How did Simon show you your birthday patchwork?

On the morning of my actual birthday in cold rainy January we went for a bracing walk along my favourite pier. Afterwards we stopped in a cosy cafe for a hot chocolate and he presented the finished patchwork to me as we sat getting warm. I was absolutely overwhelmed with everyone’s generosity and lovely messages, plus the sweet activities and day trips my friends had chosen to treat me to. I just burst into tears, I was so touched! There’s no way I would be able to afford such a fun trip with proper spending money. I was so excited.

So how was the trip?

It was AMAZING! Five whole days with my lovely Lina in a beautiful city, loads of delicious food, museums, galleries and lovely sunny days out. It was such a treat to have money to spend without worrying if I could afford it. I really can’t think of a better 40th birthday present. The trouble is, now I am desperate to go back again!

Patchwork holiday fund Stockholm
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back to the future themed patchwork party
Patchwork KidsPatchwork Story

A Kids’ Party with a Back to the Future Theme

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

Patchwork founder Olivia’s son turned ten this month. To celebrate she wanted to throw him a really special party with all his family and friends. Although Manu knew about the party, what he didn’t know was that it was going to be a Back to the Future themed party – an obsession that he’s inherited from his 1980s parents.

So when did Manu’s love of Back to the Future start?

Early. Manu chose his first red ‘life preserver’ at age four, started guitar lessons on a mini red electric at the age of five, owned a skateboard by six, went to the Secret Cinema screening of Back to the Future at eight and still watches the film at least once a month, reciting every line by heart. So, a Back to the Future themed party seemed like the perfect way to celebrate Manu’s past and future.

How did you go about organising the party?

Once I’d fixed the date and booked the local Scouts hall the real challenge was searching the country to track down an original Back to the Future DeLorean to drive Manu to the venue in style.

From that point on it was simple.

The Scout hall, a 1950s prefab, was the perfect Hill Valley School hall and although I knew it was going to take a lot of work to recreate the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, with P

atchwork it was easy to share the plan and ask everyone to help.

What response did you get from your party patchwork?

Within days of sending out the patchwork invite I had 50 people coming, a local ‘Marvin Berry’ band booked, badges being made, a projector screen and speakers promised, 100 balloons ordered, eight cakes being baked, a banner, two signs and a Flux Capacitor being made.

How did you keep it all a secret?

It was easy to keep the Back to the Future theme a secret from Manu until the day of the party. Getting dressed in his skinny jeans, checked shirt, denim jacket and red gilet was normal for Manu. But he did start to get a bit suspicious when his dad produced an 1980s Walkman and a brand new pair of white Nikes with a red tick.

With everyone waiting at the venue it was up to Manu’s dad to get him there. As they left home Manu said ‘I feel like Marty’, and at that exact moment the DeLorean pulled up and opened its doors, blaring out the Back to the Future theme tune!

Back to the Future themed patchwork party

How did Manu feel riding a time machine through Brockley?

This was the only Universal Studios DeLorean time machine in the UK and the one used for the 25 anniversary promotional tour, complete with Flux Capacitor. So Manu was speechless. As were the people who saw it driving (at 5 miles an hour over the speed bumps) through the streets of Brockley.

Back to the Future themed patchwork party

How did you transform the party venue into the Enchantment Under the Sea dance?

I spent Friday night with girlfriends painting the giant banner and two wooden signs. And we arrived at the venue on Sunday morning with a handful of helpers to decorate the hall, blow up balloons, set the tables, fill party bags and get the band set up. So when Manu arrived the scene was set and everyone was outside the hall dressed in 1985 or 1955 outfits to welcome him.

Back to the Future themed patchwork party

What did Manu think when he arrived at the Back to the Future themed party?

Manu McFly tried his best to play it cool as he stepped out of his time machine to whoops and cheers from the crowd, but he couldn’t hide his surprise and delight. His joy reached new heights when he stepped inside the hall and the band started playing ‘Power of Love’.

He said “The best bit of the party was riding in the DeLorean, seeing all my friends, eating all the cakes and the Flux Capacitor that Eric made me. The funniest thing was seeing Grandad dressed as Doc and the most embarrassing bit was when the band played Earth Angel and mum tried to make me dance.”

Back to the Future themed patchwork party
Back to the Future themed patchwork party

We know that you’re the biggest Back to the Future fan really. So what was your favourite bit?

I am. I loved feeling everyone’s excitement as we saw the DeLorean drive up and seeing Manu’s face as he got out of the Time Machine! It was so fun stepping into 1955 as we entered the hall, seeing all our efforts come together and hearing the AMAZING band. We’d made mini clock tower fairy cakes but seeing the incredible sea-themed creations, the Jail Bird Joey cake and the huge red guitar cake that everyone else had made was amazing. And of course Patchwork made it all so easy. I could keep track of all the things people were helping to fund, make and do and contact everyone about the things they’d pledged to do and send updates to everyone along the way.

After an evening of dancing I could also show Manu the patchwork so he could see how everyone helped to make it happen and read everyone’s messages so he could send his own thank yous.

It was a massive success, made super easy with Patchwork. Now I’m just looking for another excuse to plan a big party!

Back to the Future themed patchwork party

YAY. Best party ever. If this has inspired you to plan a party with patchwork, check out our party patchworks for inspiration, or create your own from scratch.

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group gift patchwork puppy
Patchwork Story

Anna & Her Patchwork Puppy

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

When Anna was diagnosed with a serious brain virus, her friends rallied around her. They wanted to help her in any way they could. So her friend Catherine decided to make her a patchwork.

Hi Anna. Tell us about what Catherine organised for you..

My friends knew that I had always wanted a British Bulldog and I suppose it seemed like the perfect timing as I wasn’t sure if I would be able to work again in the near future and would be spending a lot of time rehabilitating, learning to walk again and trying to increase my stamina levels.

How did you feel when your friends told you what they’d done?

It was such an incredible surprise and completely unexpected. I remember arranging to meet my friends in a pub one evening, I thought maybe there was a quiz or something.
Catherine presented me with an envelope with a card inside with pictures of my friends on it and inside was the message that they had all donated to getting Quincy (my Bulldog) I cried (obviously) It was definitely one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me.

How did Quincy help your recovery?

Through having Quincy, I would get up and out everyday, walking in the park and also, as silly as it may sound, having constant company during the day would keep my mind occupied, I’m sure without him, my rehab would have taken longer.
He’s my best bud and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank my friends enough for giving him to me.

Catherine says:

“Anna is massively loved by everyone in our friendship group and it was very scary for us when she suddenly became so ill. Clubbing together to get Quince was a way for us to express our love and relief that Anna had recovered and to give her a new pal to encourage her in getting even better.”

Patchwork Puppy Fund


Thank you so much Anna & Catherine for sharing your lovely patchwork story with us. It had the whole of Team Patchwork in tears. Hooray for friends, and hooray for Quincy. We’re so pleased to be a small part of this story.

If you want to create a patchwork of your own, go here. Or browse our readymade patchworks for inspiration.

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Tom crowdfund laptop patchwork
Patchwork KidsPatchwork Story

Tom’s Crowdfunded Laptop

by Ismay Ozga
written by Ismay Ozga

When Ginny’s son Tom decided he really needed a new top-of-the-range MacBook Pro to help with his A-levels, she was a little bit panicked. Desperately wanting to help him get it, but having just had a very expensive few months, Ginny wasn’t sure what to do. Luckily, her daughter Katie had an idea.

What did you decide to fund and why?

It was Tom’s 18th birthday and he was in his final year. He was studying art and really needed a new computer to do his work on, but we weren’t sure we could shell out for it. His big sister Katie suggested we ‘crowdfunded’ a MacBook for him using Patchwork, we liked the look of the website, so we thought we’d give it a go. We made a patchwork from images of his recent art work and suggested to friends and family that they contribute for his 18th. Bingo! Within a month he had enough money for the MacBook and lots of compliments about his work.

crowdfund laptop gift

What did everyone think about the patchwork?

All of our friends and family thought it was a very inspired, creative and interesting way to raise funds and it worked perfectly.

How did Tom feel when you gave him his gift?

Tom was over the moon with his gift, and now has one of his paintings shortlisted for the A-level Royal Academy summer exhibition.

crowdfund laptop gift

Fantastic, thanks Ginny for telling us all about Tom and his artwork.

If this has inspired you to arrange a group-gift for a special birthday, just customise one of our readymade patchworks, or create your own from scratch.

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