Author Archive

*License to Sew

We’re recruiting for our new training programme! This accredited course will provide you with the skills and confidence to apply for a rewarding job within the sewing and textile industries.

Our first cohort of students are doing a fantastic job! Congratulations! We can’t wait to see what they create next.

Our second cohort will begin 26 February 2024. Please get in touch with Karen for more information and to express interest in a place in the programme. Call 01695 550772.

*Co-founder Paula receives MBE

In the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours, Paula Gamester, co-founder of The Sewing Rooms, was recognised as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) “For services to Social Enterprise and to the community in Lancashire.” 

The Cabinet Office said that this year’s list had a “renewed focus on those who have had a profoundly positive impact on how society faces up to the most challenging issues of the modern era.” 

Many congratulations to our Paula for the many years of inspiring work and care she contributes to our community!

*Making a difference. Every day! See what we’ve been up to over the past two years.

We’ve learned so much, and met so many wonderful people over the past several years, with many of us coming out of lockdown much changed, yet still hopeful. We’ve put together a short video of some of our projects and look forward to meeting more members of our community, finding inspiration at every turn and putting together more opportunities for us to share in the wonders of creating together. Watch our video.

We want to thank our funders, The National Lottery Community Fund, Lancashire Community Foundation, John Moores Foundation, SIB and Groundwork, NHS West Lancs, Key Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, West Lancs Council and Awards4All.

We also want to thank our supporters, Panaz, Senator Group, West Lancs Labour, Rotary Clocktower,  Co-op Party, and Selnet.

And also huge thanks to all of our customers, including the Marriott Hotel Group, Panaz, Premier Inn, Camerados, FromBristolwithlove, National Farmers Union, and Good Wash Day.

*Save on fuel costs with insulated cooking bag!

The Sew Fab Thermal Cooking Bag saves money by reducing the amount of time you need to use the stove to cook a meal. Based on medieval “haybox cooking,” the thermal bag finishes cooking a meal after initially being heated to boiling for 10 minutes on the stove.

The bags use roll-end textiles and repurposed waste foam and insulation. Each bag keeps six kilograms of fabric out of landfill. Cooking is completed in one to two hours, and food stays hot for much longer. The bags are washable, and as part of our Crowdfunder campaign, we are going to send one bag to a local food bank for every £50 raised.

If you’d like to support our Crowdfunding campaign, donate here.

For more information and to place an order, please get in touch.

*Our environmental impact

In 2021, we diverted 3,000 metres of roll-end and salvaged textiles from landfill. That is enough material to cover three football pitches!

We’d love to hear from you! If you have ideas for a collaboration, a sewing project you’d like help with, a commission we could make for you, or interest in taking a course with us, please get in touch!

*Social impact report 2021

Social impact is at the heart of what we do. Our aim is to bring about positive community change through trade. We do this by providing workshops and employability training and environmental initiatives for our local area in Skelmersdale.

Covid had a negative impact on our business as we initially saw sales decline and our activities cease during lockdown. The sustainability of our organisation was in question. However, in response and after much thinking and planning, we pivoted our business model.

We have put in place a five-point plan for developing our trading income over the next 12 months. This includes providing accredited training courses and building our partnership model of working.

Read more about our hard-won accomplishments over the past 12 difficult months. We thank our supporters for the encouragement they provided in so many different ways that helped keep us going when we weren’t sure what to do next.

Here’s hoping that 2022 is an improvement in many ways on the past two years.

Read the report.