Sew Positive, the Cambridge charity tackling social isolation and mental health through sewing, has been awarded just over £200,000, with a three year Reaching Communities grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. The Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes.
The new funding for ‘Threading Connection: Inclusive Creative Spaces for All’ will see the expansion of three pioneering programmes tackling social isolation, health inequalities and mental wellbeing. Videographer and filmmaker Tom Christian put together this reel to include in Sew Positive’s application.
A turning point for Sew Positive
Celebrating its fifth year of delivering inclusive, creative health support in Cambridge, the grant will enable the charity to deliver consistent, proven services over the next three years, while remaining innovative and creative, providing support for people who might otherwise have nowhere else to turn.
“This funding is a pivotal moment as Sew Positive celebrates its fifth year,” said Melissa Santiago-Val, Founder and CEO of Sew Positive. “As a grassroots charity still needing support, this award enables us to consolidate our work, deliver reliable services and develop our partnerships with other key charities like CPSL Mind, to continue exploring new ways to help people feel well, connected and valued in safe spaces.”
Addressing inequality in Cambridge
Cambridge has been called the most unequal city in the UK, with the top 6 % of earners taking nearly a fifth of all income while the bottom 20 % earn just about 2 % (Centre for Cities via BBC, 2025). This funding allows Sew Positive to continue its work in creative, participant-led spaces that tackle social isolation, mental health challenges and poverty.
Mental health is the top reason for social prescribing referrals, yet there is a shortage of community activities to address this. In Cambridgeshire, 31% of residents report often feeling lonely – higher than the national average. The charity also has a focus on reducing textile waste, one of the UK’s biggest carbon contributors, with 336,000 tonnes of used clothing discarded each year.
At its core, its work transforms isolation into action, and disempowerment into creativity, confidence, and choice. It supports people facing health inequalities, intensified by poverty, trauma, mental illness, neurodivergence or cultural barriers. Most have fallen through gaps in formal health services.
Paricipants say:
“I’ve learned new things with Sew Positive and taught others crochet, which boosted my confidence. It led me to plan a café-knit group I’d always wanted to organise.”
“Since becoming involved with Sew Positive, I have not needed to see my GP. I’m not cured – like many Sew Positive participants, I have chronic conditions – but I am more stable. I feel as though I have more resources to help me manage my health better and am better able to support my son.
The funding allows the expansion of three key programmes, based just off Gwydir Street in Cambridge. The first two are in collaboration with CPSL Mind:
- Men’s Hems – A unique creative space for men, combining sewing with peer support to improve mental wellbeing. Tuesday evenings 7-9pm term time. Book via Linktree.
- Sewcialise Good Mood Café – This new programme will provide a welcoming, safe space to sew, connect and support mental health. Thursday mornings 10-12 term time. Launching 26 Feb 2026. Book via Linktree.
- K2Tog Peer Support – A participant-led knitting and crochet group, empowering members to share skills and build supportive networks. Wednesdays 10.30am-12.30pm. Book via Linktree.
Ashley Bunn, CEO of CPSL Mind, said: “It’s fantastic to see National Lottery funding supporting Sew Positive and enabling CPSL Mind to develop our collaborative and supportive partnership. Men’s Hems provides such a vital, creative and unique place to explore men’s health and we are thrilled this can continue. Partnering on the new Sewcialise Good Mood Café also combines our strengths to provide a safe space where people can connect and support their mental wellbeing.”
A transformational venue
The grant also enables Sew Positive to take on a permanent base at Gwydir Street off Mill Road in Cambridge – the venue where 90 % of its services are delivered. This provides stability, reduces overheads and allows for the installation of specialised sewing machines, enabling the charity to deliver more services sustainably and expand its impact.