IT'S SO MUCH MORE THAN SEWING...
Building communities of people keen on sewing started when Sew Positive’s founder Melissa Santiago-Val and her friend Jane Horwood decided to make face masks during the pandemic. They discovered the value of sewing and creativity to improve mental health and wellbeing. As well as recruiting 50 volunteers, they raised more than £40,000 selling masks for NHS Charities Together.
For Melissa, the mask project spurred further thinking and the idea for Sew Positive was born. In December 2020, it became an officially registered charity, with Melissa as CEO.
Sew Positive is unique. Its mission is to build communities of like-minded people who face social exclusion. We work with them to mend, repair, upcycle and repurpose clothes to calm the mind, improve mental health and well-being, and help our planet. Our activities contribute towards a more sustainable and climate-positive approach to textile waste.
COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS
We are members of a variety of organisations, including…
Melissa Santiago-Val
CEO & Founder
For Melissa Santiago-Val, who founded Sew Positive in 2020, sewing and creativity has been a way of managing anxiety and depression. Through Sew Positive, she shares the tools she has learned with others. Melissa runs the charity and leads services along with a large team of volunteers, experienced specialist community artists and stitchers to deliver courses and events. She brings with her 25 years’ experience in charitable, education and B2B marketing.
Melissa Santiago-Val
CEO & FounderMelissa Santiago-Val founded Sew Positive after making masks to support the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. For her, sewing and creativity has been a way of managing anxiety and depression, and through Sew Positive, she shares the tools she has learned with others. Melissa runs the charity and leads many of the sewing workshops and courses. She brings with her 25 years’ experience in charitable, education and B2B marketing.
Jane Webber
Chair of TrusteesJane is a former Sales and Marketing Director for several well-known technology companies in the UK and Europe. She retrained as a nutritionist in 2018 and now helps midlife women make informed decisions about their eating and lifestyle habits. Jane has held several volunteer positions over the years and is passionate about helping others.
Judi Coe
TrusteeJudi is a communications expert, having worked as a journalist, PR consultant, copywriter and editor. She was the founding editor of the Cambridge Network website, a role she carried out for 20+ years. She is helping Sew Positive to convey its mission and key messages to a wider audience.
Alison Heron
TrusteeAlison has specialised in employer brand, recruitment marketing and talent acquisition, with international organisations including KPMG and GSK. She was a Board Director and is now a Fellow of the Institute of Student Employers. Alison supports Sew Positive with branding and marketing activities.
Joseph Barker-Sherry
Treasurer
Karin Read
TrusteeKarin specialises in knowledge and engagement of the local voluntary and statutory sector, currently working at Care Network Cambridgeshire. She also has a background in costume design and believes in the positive power of sewing – this combined with her running hobby led her to raise funds for Sew Positive in the Manchester Marathon in 2021.