SUPPORTED SESSIONS

TOOLS FOR ALL

Through highly skilled and sensitive facilitation, we run 'woodwork wellbeing' sessions and bespoke workshops for charities and community groups. These days are carefully designed to grow confidence, self-reliance and boost wellbeing through the therapeutic and empowering nature of wood-craft and manual skills.

Our aims are to provide our unique services to marginalised and underserved members of our community. As with our general project aims, our goal is to provide everyday fundamental tool competency to improve life skills, confidence and independence.

So far we have worked with charities and community groups serving:

  • Survivors or SV and DA

  • Trans, non-binary and intersex people

  • Those accessing mental health services

  • Girls and queer youth

  • Communities from the global majority

  • Low income, unemployed and working class groups

  • Refugee and asylum seekers

  • Disabled & neurodivergent people.

  • Older and ageing women

MANUAL SKILLS = LIFE SKILLS

Working with your hands is extremely therapeutic by nature! Benefits range from confidence growth, improved self-reliance, boosts in mental and physical wellbeing as well as forming new and empowering ideas around your capabilities (that often reach further than simlpy the manual skills learnt themselves) ​

Across the entire country there are very few workshops like ours, that are fully ran, taught and facilitated by those historically excluded from the DIY, carpentry and building trade. This is why our workshop is a uniquely effective and safer space to bring your group/service users; our tutors understand the social, mental and physical challenges that come with learning manual skills. Due to our gender diversity we are very well placed to support, encourage and share valuable insight around tool handling, body posture and power distribution that you would be unlikely to receive in traditional carpentry learning spaces.

Our workshops also erase the gender-based power dynamic in the room that can typically be found in a male dominated carpentry environment, where it's very difficult not to feel lesser placed, doubts on ability and fear of making mistakes and therefore 'proving the point' that women and AFAB people are less capable. Many learners on supported sessions have commented on just how calm, inspired and confident they feel at their session.

“I loved every second of our adventure! At the beginning I was scared my pain would ruin it, but we had Katie there to support us in getting there and back safely and making sure we were ok and it was such a lovely empowering and bonding session with amazing women, ran by amazing women, I absolutely LOVED it, thank you sooo much!! I still can’t believe I actually made a veggie box, it makes me so happy every time I think about it or look at it, I am so proud of everyone who attended, we all did amazing and thank you for such a magical day!! Xx”
— Survivors Network 2025 workshop attendee

YOUR COMMUNITY

OUR EXPERTISE

We recognise the many reasons some women, gender marginalised and LGBTQ+ folks might not be able to make it to our workshop. 

We work proudly with other charities, non-profit organisations and community groups to support and facilitate sessions with their members/service users. They are well placed to inform us the best interests, needs and outcomes desired, and we match the course to that information!

We can work with you every step of the way and guarantee happier, empowered and creatively enriched people (albeit tired!) walking out of our door at the end of the day.

A group of six women outdoors, smiling and holding empty wooden boxes suitable for planting or composting, with a green garden backdrop including trees and plants.
A group of six women outdoors, smiling and holding empty wooden boxes suitable for planting or composting, with a green garden backdrop including trees and plants.

Women Of Colour Brighton Workshop 2024

SELECTION OF TESTIMONIALS

  • “Just to say a huge thank you for the workshop last week. We felt that it was so successful and worthwhile. It was so lovely to spend time in such a beautiful location. This morning I overheard one the participants describe the place including the trees and the welcoming fire. Most of the people who came would find it difficult to get out to such a place by themselves either logistically or would be too anxious to venture that far.

    We really appreciated everything you did to make it accessible for all – nowhere else has offered an accessible toilet specially delivered! It really was the most inclusive activity we have participated in.

    The way you taught was empowering and unintimidating – everyone got fully involved and persevered even when they found it hard and that was down to your encouragement.”

    Gateway Women’s Centre staff member

  • “Thank you again so much for the incredibly warm welcome and nourishing day at your beautiful workshop yesterday. 

    It was so special to see people exceed their own expectations of themselves, and to see families finding their own rhythm and working in sync with each other to make such beautiful (and ambitious!) joint projects… Your space and care enabled everyone to feel like they could, in a world where sometimes they feel like they can't. It was very special. 

    Thank you again for an incredibly special and beautiful day.”

    Allsorts Staff Member

  • “It was such a beautiful day, thank you so much for making us feel so welcome. It’s a rare treat as team of TNBI folks to find a space that is facilitated by community members. The sense of safety, peace and community was strong! It’s rare, too, to find a rural activity that is wheelchair accessible, which this really was. We can’t wait to come back.”

    Clare Project staff member

  • Participant feedback gathered by BWC:

    "Elated and accomplished. Very proud of myself for creating something I will use in my home. It was a very relaxing day for me."
    Rated workshop experience 5/5

    "Very happy, excited, pleased with my planter! And with myself."
    Rated workshop experience 5/5

    "I enjoyed so much the workshop,
    I was so proud of myself. Happy to have had that experience."
    Rated workshop experience 5/5

    "Very welcoming. In a beautiful location. We were surrounded by beautiful wood and glass creations. Lunch was amazing. We all earned new skills. And they have a a beautiful dog. What more could one
    ask for."
    Rated workshop experience 5/5

    "As though I had learnt a lot about myself... Very relaxed because it was so different from my normal day. Stimulated and stretched. Happy."
    Rated workshop experience 5/5

    "Very relaxed. Like I’d achieved
    something!!    "
    Rated workshop experience 5/5

    Follow up by staff member: Thanks so much for our wonderful day last Friday. It went really well from our perspective and I've attached our peer's feedback. All very (very!) positive.

    Thanks so much for hosting us and making it such a wonderful day. Everyone loved it. You've got a really special place there and are doing something really amazing.”

  • “The teaching is perfect for me, the combination of Georjie’s self taught wisdom and Nat’s professional skills bring lots of things that would be missed in a traditional teaching setting. I particularly appreciate discussion of how tools are designed, and ways to use them adaptively for people with disabilities.

    We were a big group with lots of needs and questions and I felt that we each got to have a positive individual experience of the course while being supported as needed and also having time for some social connection.”

    Workshop attendee 2026

  • The whole feel of the day was gentle yet empowering. Lots of thought around how to give guidance and consent when asking if help was needed. Didn't feel rushed or presured. Very inclusive and uplifting session in a beautiful setting. Workshop attendee

    Thank you so much for such a fantasic day yesterday. Everyone was so excited about the day and what they had made on the train back. It was so good to see everyone getting stuck in and building confidence. Everyone said how lovely you were. They really appreciated the gentle guidance and one person said they felt you really understood about the important of asking for consent with survivors, even around a session like this. Really can't thank you enough. Survivors Network staff member

  • "We had an amazing day in nature, in the beautiful place, enjoying the delightful woodworking experience."

    "It was wonderful day, calming, peaceful, fun! I want to come here again and again, it brings relief. Thank you for everything."

    Workshop attendees

    "I have to tell you that every time I see the ladies that came they go on and on about what a wonderful time they had and show me more photos. They are also asking when they can go again.”

    HRSG staff member

  • “Thank you so much for having us. It was an incredible, insightful day and has really helped cement and shape the group’s ideas. Thank you too for your facilitation - really sensitive and clear in sharing your journey and in supporting the making for everyone. Conversations from the visit were still unfolding when we met again on Saturday…

    To echo Eva, a HUGE, HUGE thank you from us all. It sounded like a truly special day that had an incredibly strong impact on everyone that attended.”

    Photoworks staff

A group of five women standing outdoors on grass, smiling, holding wooden spoons, and making peace signs with their fingers, with trees and a blue sky in the background.
A group of five women standing outdoors on grass, smiling, holding wooden spoons, and making peace signs with their fingers, with trees and a blue sky in the background.

Brighton Queers For Palestine workshop 2024

Depending on your service user/group size, intentions for the day and price range (if not funded by us), we can tailor the workshop to you.

​

Activities could include:

  • Learning how to use a range of power tools and getting creative with them

  • Learning the fundamentals of carpentry by building your own small piece of furniture from scratch to take home! Depending on time allowances and your groups needs, this could look like candle holders, rustic trays and boxes, planters, habitat boxes and more.

  • Spoon carving and green woodwork!

  • Empowerment DIY workshop learning how to put up shelves and how to use electric drills

  • Team building: make something all together to take back to your center or community/charity premises (e.g. a bench or small furniture)

  • Building habitat boxes to either take home or donate to wildlife charities (bird boxes, bug shelters, hedgehog houses)

​

PRICING & PLANNING

A young woman with dark hair, makeup, and piercings is sitting outdoors on a wooden bench, holding a yellow cordless drill, and looking down at it. She is wearing a black leather jacket and lace black clothing. Green plants are in the background.
A young woman with dark hair, makeup, and piercings is sitting outdoors on a wooden bench, holding a yellow cordless drill, and looking down at it. She is wearing a black leather jacket and lace black clothing. Green plants are in the background.

Photoworks LGBTQ+ Youth Workshop 2025

Pricing:

We offer a discounted rate for charities and non-profit community groups - reach out to us with your budget and we can discuss your options, as we have differing and flexible options.

Prices and activities range depending on how many people are booked, the skills/outcomes requested, the number of facilitators needed and the preparation required.

Funded sessions:

Please reach out to us if you have no funds to offer but feel your community would benefit from a session with us. We have some limited fully funded sessions available and are actively seeking more as these sessions are popular and impactful. Please reach out to info@inourhandsproject.org for more info on a supported session.