Who started Calluna Upcycling?
My name is Heather. I also have a lovely little company that builds eco friendly exhibition stands (Calluna Graphix).
I’m the one with red hair in the photo – I’ve not had my natural hair colour since I was at college! There is way too much grey in it now for me to stop dying it…! 🙂
I am a mum of 2 gorgeous kids, and 3 very fluffy cats. I am a crafter, a cake lover, and adore travel. I am NOT social media savvy nor watch much TV – so I apologize now for my haphazard posting online!! (That being said, I do try to palm it off on anyone else who is willing to post for me!!)
And I drink way too much coffee…
Why Start Calluna Upcycling?
Working in the events industry it was the norm to see an exhibition hall full of waste post event – sometimes several large skips worth. Every time is a shock, even though no one else seems to bat an eyelid.
When COVID hit and the event industry shut down, I had time to really think about this growing problem. And as someone who loved sewing, I decided I would have some fun with the fabric, coming up with my own designs for items I hoped other people would love too!
The upcycling side of the company took off with many other event organisers wanting to donate their fabric to the cause of saving it from landfill – knowing that 10% of proceeds on the products sold would also go to Charity. So Calluna Upcycling was born!
Our Sewers
There are so many reasons people find themselves out of work or unable to take on full time hours – mostly because employers can’t (or won’t) offer flexible working. People who need flexible working aren’t just parent’s trying to work around childcare issues (did you know that 2 adult’s standard holiday days do not equal the amount of days kids have off school!). There are other reasons… working with illness – physical and/or mental, working whilst also being a caregiver, getting back into work after a trauma perhaps a miscarriage or mental breakdown, struggling with menopause or fleeing domestic violence. The list is endless.
We decided to help these people, with the support of Charity Landau.
All our sewers struggle with a personal circumstance but we offer complete flexible working. They take fabric and all the accessories they need to make a product home to work in their own time and at their own pace with no pressure. They are paid a fair price per product so it is up to them how much they make with no deadlines. We hope by doing this we give them more confidence and skills to help them in the future.
Our Values
- Dedicated to creating exciting and durable products that our customers love
- Determined to save as much event fabric from landfill as we can cope with
- Striving to minimize our own carbon footprint and work in a sustainable way
- Committed to giving completely flexible working to our sewers, mental health is equally as important as physical health
- Believe that local charities must also benefit from what we achieve
