Make Do and Grow CIC making a difference to families in Glasgow

Make Do and Grow is a community interest company established in March 2017. They offer a family-friendly retail space in Govan, Glasgow, which offers a place to play and buy low-cost items, including used clothing, books and toys for children. They also deliver creative workshops, host children’s birthday parties and run school holiday activities in the local community and across Glasgow. Make Do and Grow encourages parents to make and create with their children and learn activities that they can replicate at home. In the last financial year, it is estimated that over 1,500 children participated in their workshops, delivered within the shop, schools, nurseries and community groups.

Project

In August 2021, The Essentia Foundation awarded Make Do and Grow a grant of £2,700.00 to undertake a creative project that would fund artist fees, support worker costs and materials costs for a new weekly craft club for children aged 5-8 years. The craft club aimed to provide free access to creative art and craft activity for children aged 5-8 once per week after school. The club developed art skills and techniques from collage to cutting and paper crafts, construction and basic sewing. Through these hands-on activities, Make Do and Grow hoped that the project would support key development skills in participants, such as motor skills and socialization. The project hoped to engage with 14 young people from the local community.

Project activities commenced in August 2021 and took place once a week for a period of 12 months. 16 children were registered in the club, with a minimum of 10 joining every week. The organisation already had a list of local parents and carers who were looking for creative well-being activities for their children in this age group. Additional places were advertised across the community through the Govan Thriving Places network. Local partners working with children and families referred young people for spaces. The club proved to be incredibly popular, and there is now a waiting list of 14 children in addition to those already taking part.

Impact

In May 2022, Govan welcomed its annual street parade and float fair. This is a historical event that celebrated its 266thyear in 2022. Following many months of workshops, group work and confidence-building activities, the Make Do and Grow cohort decided to submit their very own community float to the fair. The Govan Fair Float was entitled ‘Looking after our world’ and integrated recycled materials and scrap to create a colourful display of nature alongside positive messages around sustainability. Make Do and Grow remains committed to reducing waste and encouraging reuse. It is a testament to their commitment that every activity in the project used household and scrap materials for the creation, and the children took part in additional climate challenge projects such as the Keep Scotland Beautiful campaign.

Thanks to grant funding from The Essentia Foundation, 14 young children were able to learn new skills and embrace their creative side. Parents/carers fed back that their children showed an increase in their skills but also that they found the space a safe place to be themselves. For the organisation, Make Do and Grow have experienced a renewed interest in the work that they do. 

“We have learned that there is even more need for the project than initially anticipated. We already have a waiting list that would support a second group which is fantastic to see!”

Kaytie Lilley, Managing Director 

Looking to the future, Make Do and Grow are in the process of seeking additional funding opportunities to further support new cohorts of the craft group in Govan.