It's hard to believe that it's just over a month since our third Liverpool SOUP, mainly because we're still buzzing! It was amazing to see so many of you there and to be able to raise a massive £775.50 for our winning pitcher, Rachel Sampara, to help her community beekeeping project get off the ground. Not to mention, the additional donations from LAB by Capacity (6 month membership) and Enterprise Hub (2 workshops) which we have no doubt will help to boost Rachel's success.
One thing that we're really proud that we're able to do is showcase the breath of inspiring projects going on across Liverpool, we know it's just the tip of the iceberg (and it makes it even harder to decide how to spend your vote), but it really gets people talking and we always come away from SOUP blown away by the creativity and passion that Liverpool has to offer. Our February event was no exception, we heard from:
Rachel Sampara, who wants to make beekeeping available to vulnerable and minority adult groups using both theory and practical beekeeping lessons including product making by using hive by-products. She's looking for funding to help her invest in equipment to get up and running.
Snoof, who runs Tech Styles, a craft based digital inclusion workshop using textile crafts such as knitting to introduce people to digital tools which enhance their crafting skills. Their tech-phobic knitters have learned loads including how to search for ideas and inspiration & knitting patterns on Google.
Emma Case, who started The RED Project which is a community archive for Liverpool FC fan's personal photos and stories and wants to use the archive to run sporting reminiscence sessions with Dementia groups across Liverpool.
Anna and Megan, who run Malit in the Community and want to lift the taboo around male mental health and create a piece of visual theatre with real voices discussing and dissecting the issue, their aim is to encourage people, especially men, to speak up and understand that it's okay to talk.
We also welcomed Aleasha from Humanise Me back to the stage who caught us up on how they had spent the £650 they were awarded at our SOUP back in October by hosting community film nights and dinners where locals come together to talk about what it means to be human and support each other in a welcoming, safe environment. In Aleasha's words,"the group is a lifeline for some of us, helping to build our resilience in a world that feels ever more difficult."
And lastly, thank you for all your feedback. We love hearing all your kind words but we're also really keen to improve with each event and we can only do this with some good honest feedback, so for our next event you can expect the following changes:
- We'll be less 'stop/start', running straight from our 60 Second Soapbox into announcing who are winner is for the evening.
- We'll make sure you get some background so that you know what our previous winner's project was when then take to the mic to give us the low-down on their progress.
- With special thanks to a supporter of Liverpool SOUP, all of our pitchers will received a £250 with the winner receiving £250 PLUS all the donations taken on the door!
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