Quilt Fundraiser

Photo by Jess Bailey

For the past few months we’ve been working with Jess from Public Library Quilts and Sui from Decolonise the Garden for a fundraiser and raffle in which money raised would go directly to LION’s forthcoming Growers Grant project and a handmade quilt would be awarded to a randomly selected entrant. In December, hundreds of naturally dyed fabrics began to make their way to Jess. Jess designed and sewed the quilt which caught the attention of material culture magazine Tatter as well as quilt and natural dye enthusiasts around the world. We acknowledge and appreciate the careful, loving work at each stage - making the natural dye, dying the fabric, sending it, hours spent planning and stitching. Once the magnificent double-sided quilt was completed we began the fundraiser and raffle entry in April and over the course of the month we were able to raise over £18,000 ! It was incredibly heart-warming to receive so much support knowing that the funds will go on to support Black growers and growers of colour.

photo by Jess Bailey

Our Growers Grant project was conceived early in 2020 before we were overwhelmed with support and interest, and at times pressure. The past year has put LION at the centre of land and racial justice, and with that a lot of opportunities to collaborate and create a new narrative about what land means to Black and people of colour. At the moment we are tying up some loose ends on projects we have been working on, while also developing the necessary infrastructure for a grassroots collective to be both resilient and accountable. It is from here that we express our gratitude for all the support and solidarity that has been extended to us. We want to commence work on the Growers Grant as soon as possible and we are hoping to announce our plans with more certainty from June.

So thank you everyone who has supported us so far. We will announce more on the Growers Grant in the next few months.