How the Edinburgh University Crafting and Sewing Society Raised Funds for Impact Arts

Tue 31st March 2026

We caught up with Becky Robertshaw and Juliet Stanton from the Edinburgh University Crafting and Sewing Society who kindly fundraised £200 for Impact Arts at their Crafty Ceilidh event!

Keep reading to find out why they chose Impact Arts, what their society does, and how the event went on the day.

How did you discover Impact Arts and what made you choose us as the cause for your fundraising event?

“Our Society has worked with Impact Arts in the past, as the work they do is so aligned with what our society does. Our previous president Eve worked with Impact Arts when their main office was in Edinburgh, and since then the charity has always been kept in mind for fundraising events.

The Crafty Ceilidh was a collaborative event with five other creative societies in the University of Edinburgh (though definitely not all of them!) and so we thought it was only right to be raising money for a cause that supports creativity means across Scotland, which aligns with our weekly sessions which brings everyone together with arts and crafts.”

Can you tell us more about your society and what you do?

“Our Society meets once a week to make a new craft. We provide all of the materials and instructions, so members simply need to come along and let their creativity flow.

Outside of these weekly sessions we also hold various social events, such as an annual trip to Doodles for pottery painting, fundraising and cross-society collaborations. The ceilidh was definitely some new ground for us to cover!”

Can you tell us more about your fundraising event and how it went on the day?

“We’ve had the idea to hold a ceilidh for a while now, and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to collaborate with other creative societies at the University. This included Baking Society, Arts and Painting Society, Pottery Society, Knit and Crochet Society, and Creative Writers Society – as you can see, most creative bases were covered!

Due to the number of societies working together, we knew the number of attendees would also be higher, and so it would be a great opportunity to raise money for causes important to the student body we represent. Along with raising money for Abdul’s family in Gaza, we found it was only natural to support Impact Arts in this venture, with the work they do being so aligned with the work of each society.

In the end, we had nearly 100 guests come and ceilidh away, with a raffle filled with prizes from local businesses across Edinburgh also taking place. The theme was Spring creativity – so guests were encouraged to dress up and get creative with what they wore.

It’s safe to say people had a great time, dancing in the start of Spring and raising lots of money whilst doing it!”

If you’d like to fundraise for Impact Arts, we would love to hear from you. To find out more about how we can support you with your fundraising event or activity, email development@impactarts.co.uk

Impact Arts is a leading arts charity based in Scotland. Since 1994, we’ve been delivering life-changing creative arts and support programmes for children, young people, adults, families, and older people who are facing disadvantages or barriers to progress in life. Our mission is to tackle inequalities, address poverty, and transform lives through art and creativity.  

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