S5, E7 Barons Court Project | Charity with an art programme for service users

This episode shines a light on Barons Court Project, a West London charity offering holistic support to people facing homelessness or mental health challenges. Director Michael Angus shares how the centre provides showers, meals, emotional care, and life skills programmes — all rooted in dignity and hope.

We also hear from Guan, an artist whose journey from homelessness to creative expression led to Rainbow Tree, now a bestselling greetings card. His story embodies the spirit of Barons Court Project and their HomeLess Made social enterprise, which empowers artists through meaningful work.

With over 200 residents supported each year and a vibrant calendar of workshops, peer groups, and community outings, Barons Court Project is a beacon of compassion and creativity. Their ethos: “loving people who may not love themselves.”

Episode recorded on 23 July 2025

Learn more: baronscourtproject.org
Shop artist-made gifts: homelessmade.co.uk

Podcast details:
Podcast email: artiststalespodcast@gmail.com
Website: www.artiststales.net
Instagram: @artists_tales_podcast
Threads: @artists_tales_podcast

Transcript

Welcome to Artist Tales, the podcast that features and celebrates artists from different walks of life. I'm your host, Heather Martin, and in this episode we're shining a light on the incredible work of Barron's Court Project, a day center and charity based in Hammersmith, west London. Barron's Court Project offers practical support and emotional refuge.

To people experiencing homelessness or mental ill health. More than just services. It's a place where dignity is restored and creativity is embraced. Joining me is Michael Angus, the Centre’s director, and Guan, a guest whose recovery journey led him to discover painting his vibrant work. Rainbow Tree blossomed into a bestselling greetings card through the project Social enterprise Homeless made.

A platform where guests share their stories and talent with the world. Welcome Michael, Guan. Thank you. So Michael, tell me a little bit more about Baron's Court Project and you know, the work you do and, and also the, I'm conscious this is your 40th anniversary. Yeah, so Barr's Court project is Hammersmith and Fulham’s only day center for people who are living on the streets, who homeless and rough sleeping.

People that we talk term as, um, on the edge of homelessness, they're very close to becoming homeless and also people living with mental health conditions. As you've said, it's our 40th year. We've been serving the community for all that length of time, and I estimate we we'll have served around 25 to 30,000 individuals over the period that the project's been going.

So what do we do and who are, and what are we for Corp Project Services? I split into three areas, which I call body, mind, spirit. Body of the services that people who are living rough on the streets need to, to physically survive. So that's things like showers, laundry, clothing, meals, haircuts. But we, we go beyond that too.

We have podiatry, visiting nurses, uh, dentists, opticians, uh, anything that people might need to look after the physical. Their being. And then our section of work, which we call mind, is where our project workers will help people who may not have capacity to do everything by themselves. So they'll help them with things like benefits, forms, housing applications, um, looking for work, preparing to be job ready, writing a cv, even role playing interviews.

So anything that actually helps people move forward. Then the final aspect of our work is what we call spirit, and that's the fun stuff. That's the things like the ARC classes, uh, trips to local parks, the beach in summer. We've been rock climbing recently. Um, whole range of different things suggested by our guests that enable them to live life and have life in all its fullness.

That sounds quite diverse and quite a wide remit that you have. And where does the art come in? So you mentioned there is a bit of art, so how, what form does that take? So the art project started a number of years ago and it was through a volunteer who had been homeless himself, um, and had learned art.

And he came in to run an art class at the center. Art is quite common in homelessness projects because it's a way of people communicating who may not be able to communicate verbally. So it's a way of them expressing themselves, um, creating works that might be beautiful or might be disturbing, but it allows them to get out what they're feeling inside.

So it's, it's actually very common that, um, homelessness projects have an. And we were running an ARC class for a number of years and that's where Guan and other people first came into contact with bcp, but also started to participate. It led to something new through the pandemic. So in COVID, um, when rough sleepers were, many of them were placed in hotels.

I was working throughout because it was easier and we were able to do far much more by me being here. And I spoke to Guan and another of our artists called Louis. And they were very demoralized. And I said, you know, if you wanna come into the project and paint, you're allowed to, we're not breaking any laws because it's support, but you take the risk.

And they both said it would help them with their, their mood and their, their anxious feelings and, and feelings of isolation if they were able to come and paint. And they did. To my shame, I'd never noticed how good their art was before because they were attending a class with a volunteer. And I'm doing other things.

But in that time, I actually happened to notice how brilliant they're, so I suggested to them one day that we take their art, turn it into cards, and see if we could sell them online at the time because shocks were shut and see if we could raise some money for them as artists and also the project. And we would do a 50 50 split because it's their talent.

We would take the risk, we would do the marketing. They looked and said, well, our art isn't good enough, and I said, yes, it's, and looked at one of their designs and said, I would happily buy it as a card. And then they said words, which actually still crushed me today. They said, we're not good enough. And that is the battle really, of the whole of our work, is trying to enable people to feel good about themselves, to know that they are loved, they are cared for, and that they're valuable human beings.

So they thought about it, they didn't rush into it. They carefully thought about whether this should be something that we would wanna do. And about 10 days later with me chomping at the bit, wanting to get on with this, they gave me permission to cut. A long story short, we now have six artists in the collective and we've just been interviewing last week to maybe take on another four.

We've sold around 55,000 cards since we launched and we're stopped in about 25 to 30 shops across the country. And they, they come and go and new ones come online. It has worked. What's been brilliant is that we've been able to pay out about 34 to the artists through the profit share. We've also received a similar amount of money, although we sometimes absorb a few more of the costs, but it's also got us noticed.

It's raised our profile as a project. It's enabled us to partner with corporates with a whole range of different people who wouldn't be able to work with us in any other way. And it's brought in grants and donations of around 160,000 pounds. So that's actually important because it's helped us. It got us across the line in a very difficult financial year.

But more than that is the, the joy has really been to see the artists flourish, to gain self-esteem, to build their confidence, and to finally know they are actually good enough and they are worth it. So that's been the beauty of this project. That sounds really such a positive thing and such a probably, I'd imagine a positive impact on the artists themselves.

'cause as you say, they are coming from a place where they perhaps, or you've mentioned that they're not good enough or they feel like they're not good enough. So I can imagine the impact on for them has been really positive. But I'm just thinking it's quite, quite a big step, particularly during the pandemic to launch something like this.

So, you know, I guess. What sort of challenges and learnings did you take from this journey from launching it? That's really funny because I want to tell you a story about the first set of cards that we did. So we ordered 500 cards of four designs, beautiful designs. Um, we had a volunteer working with us who came from a country where they don't actually send cards to one another.

Um, Argentina and card sending is not really a thing. You don't get birthday cards or anything else. So a lovely volunteer ordered cards that were far too big. It would take me a month to write them, um, because they were far too big and he ordered navy blue envelopes, which he thought would look really classic and beautiful, amazing until you try and get a blue biro to write the person's name and address on it, to send in the post.

So we stuck white stickers on and we, uh, managed to get rid of some of the cards. We've some school by error. We've learned as we've gone along, what's been particularly wonderful has been how so many people have got involved and, and taught us how we could do better. Whether that's gonna a different printer, whether that's putting captions on some of our cards to appeal to a different audience, whether that's texturing them, whether that's about how we display at the trade shows.

People have wanted to help us along the journey because they've seen what Homeless Made is about, and they've bought into that idea and concept and said, we will help you to do better. So we know it's an evolving process. We know there's still things we could learn. And I think, you know, we're, we're happy with that.

I think one of the other beautiful things is that when we do stores, because our online sales have dropped, now that people can go back to shops, but when we do stores, we can engage with people. 'cause people are looking at the cards. They're not maintaining eye contact with us so that it's safe for them to have a conversation with us without having that eye to eye contact.

And so what we find is people pick them up and they look on the back and they see the image of the artist and the little biography about that person. And they say, gosh, I'd never knew homeless people were so talented. Which is quite ridiculous, really. But you know, it, it kind of just comes from, from their initial gut reaction.

And then when they meet the artist at the stall, they engage in conversations which are safe because they're doing it through and over art, but that they wouldn't have necessarily had with people who are experiencing homelessness before. So it's brought communities together and it's enabled us to reach people that we just wouldn't have been.

Conversing with convers before convers without this project. I find that so positive because people are finding connection with particularly people perhaps they would not interact or have a very D different interaction with. But also it's challenging their assumptions. And I think, you know, we probably do have very rigid or very set assumptions about people's mental health challenges or.

Homelessness are on the border of homelessness. So it sounds like quite a positive initiative in, in other aspects as well. And I'm glad you've mentioned the word connection because part of the motivation at the time we did it was we were in the first lockdown. I'd just come, I'd come back from South Africa just a couple of weeks before we went into lockdown and I'd phoned my parents.

My mum was caring for my dad who had Alzheimer's and was about to be, you know, we were looking at putting him into a care home. Said, can I come and see you? And they both said no, because COVID was on the horizon and they didn't want me to, to give them COVID. And I knew that it would probably be months, not weeks before I would get to see them.

And I knew mum was struggling. And so what I'd actually done was taken to buying cards and writing a card a week to them. Not that I wasn't talking to them every day. I was, I was calling each night. Just wanted them to have something to look forward to, to receiving a card on a Friday or a Saturday that would just have my scribbles in with love from Michael as a way of giving them something to look forward to and, and, and hopefully.

Helping their mental health, but it was actually more about helping my mental health, grieving for the fact I couldn't see them. And it was a way of actually keeping us connected even though we were 300 miles apart and at a difficult time for, for the whole world. Yeah. And it, I think we all struggled with, you know, lockdown and losing those kind of more immediate connections, you know, and perhaps video calls or even cards filled the gap.

Yeah. And I think what you're talking about too prompted me to think actually, you know, it's been, you know, five years since the first lockdown. We're now in 2025, and I just find it really quite interesting that we, we send cards still, you know, with email, with messaging, you know, message apps and that sort of thing.

It's so, you know, really heartening to hear that. People still buy the cards. Yeah. You know, it's something they still do. Yeah. There's something special about receiving a card that's been handwritten and the words have been thought through. Perhaps the image reflects something about the person that you've sent it to, or their interests or their hobbies, or that it's something that they love.

You know, there's something quite special about that. It's been chosen and it's been the people. Receiving it have been chosen to receive it. So in a way that an email or a telephone conversation just doesn't do so, it's, it's some, a different way of communicating. Indeed. And before we bring in Guan, what has the impact been, certainly since you've started the cards and that sort of thing of kind of the art classes and that sort of thing with, with people who come to BCP?

So I think the whole thing with Ness made, as I said it, you know, it's in, it's given our artists confidence and self-belief. So externally now, those artists are willing to go to stores, they're willing to engage with the public. Tell them about their work. Uh, we also sell canvases and paintings and we're often asked to display in office blocks and do art exhibitions, which we've done, and they've often been very successful and given away for our artists to, to showcase their work internally in the project.

One, um, now is, is so confident that he leads two art classes a week at the center. Other people, they may never be to the standard of homeless made artists because they're super talented, but they, they all too want to find a way of creating art and expressing themselves and guam's gentle nature, which will come through in this podcast.

He's able to draw out people's skills, gifts, and talents in a way that helps develop them and gives them a creative outlet. So it's just every bit, everything about it has been a win-win situation. It's kind of almost cyclical in the sense that you build people up and they help others and that sort of thing, isn't it?

Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you Michael. Um, now if we turn to Guan. Hi Heather. Hi Guan, how are you? Hi. I'm fine. How are you? Good, thank you. So tell us a little bit more about you and, and how you got into the art class and, and the impact it has had on you. Alright. Uh, my name.

BP way back 2015 and I was homeless then. So I come across for help and for support, which I definitely got from the project. And, um, obviously know project, so they drop in their center. So you got a lot of, uh, activities, you know, for our guests, for the guests. So I joined the art group at the BCP, and then I found that, um, by joined the art group, it's really very, uh, therapeutic, uh, uh, exercise is able to calm my term emotions and my feelings.

So I find it soothing to have this art group. And, uh, I joined the art group ever since then, when I first started here until now, obviously. And then now because of the art. And, uh, I, I would like to really, um, inspire the other guests that we have at bcp. So mentioned that, um, now I run the art group for our guests here, which, uh, really, uh, would like to show them and motivate them.

And try to express themselves. And, um, obviously, you know, they try to create some creativities and some, um, artistic aspect. I think a lot of, uh, guests, uh, who are taking parts in the art group, they find the beneficial from, uh, joining the art group or first thing that, that Michael mentioned before. The is such a beautiful, because you know, you can express yourself any way any.

To art, which maybe in the normal circumstances you won't be able to express that in or, you know, to, to your everyday activities, but you able to put everything. Piece paper and then, but from then you able to show to the world really how you're feeling there. So there's a beauty about the art group and one thing I like about the art group is, um, it's not just inspirations that give to them, they're able to show themselves who they are.

And, uh, a lot of earth, we found that art is not just, um, enjoyable activities. In fact, it help us in, um, like Michael mentioned spirit, which just really, um, we feel good about ourselves. Feel good factor, I would say, because whatever you created and.

At end of the day, it doesn't matter whether the art is so beautiful or horrible or, or you know, ugly because to to, to us, this is my personal achievement. And then that is really, is a beauty about the art. Because the art, it's nothing right or wrong about it because you try to express your feelings so that that's a future for art really.

And it sounds like it's just a different way of expressing yourself and perhaps when words you find it, it can be hard to find the words to express how you're feeling. Yeah, absolutely. Because, um, to us, most of us, we suffer from mental health issues and sometimes we cannot express ourselves to communications because sometimes we find it very hard to tell, uh, by words.

That's another form of, uh, thing to people how we feeling? Because, uh, for, take me for instance, I suffer from, um, mental health and then, uh, I find it very difficult to engage with people. So what I did, I just, uh, put my feelings as my, um, emotion into my painting. And, uh, it doesn't matter how it, it turned up, uh, at the end of the day, but, um, sometime I did something very shocking and the people talk about it, which is I use my art as a way of communications because obviously they didn't talk to me, but they talk about my painting.

So. To me, somebody communicate with me in different form. So I feel good about it because I able to engage with the public to a different form. Really, it sounds very weird, but, uh, I feel better because, uh, somebody have, uh, a conversation with me to my. Yeah, no, it can spark those conversations, definitely.

Yeah, because really it doesn't matter what language you speak, you speak Chinese, French, Italian, but you're talking about my art, that means you know, you, you are talking, communicate with me. So it doesn't matter you. So art is really like a international, um, language. Really. It's, it's, yes, it's. And how did you feel when Michael approached you and said, look, I think your work is good enough.

We want to make, you know, cards. How did you, how did that make you feel? I mean, obviously we are very subject about it because when Michael mentioned to us about the turned, the, uh, turned out the paintings into cards. And the first things to know is that we're not professional artists. We came to do art for hobbies and of to pass time.

Our painting or design is not that great enough because you know what? We haven't been to the degrees in the college or art schools, which just self taught most our artists or self taught in the homeless artists. So really, we, we very, very, uh, too mind about it. Then I say to Michael, I said, Michael, don't be silly.

Who will buy our car? You know, we just did it for hobbies and then now we never thought that enough. People appreciate that our arts. And then by surprise, because. When me and, uh, Louis, uh, Louis and the artist, we are the first two, uh, art, uh, members of the homeless ma and, uh, we, we, we laughing ga when we saw our start selling and now we saw, oh wow, you know, this something, our card.

So really, that really boost our competence. Our self esteem and we feel much more confidence about what we're, uh, painting and know whatever we did on our, it's really, it doesn't matter of how, how you, um, you paint it, but people appreciate maybe of the color or maybe because of the, the, the design that we did.

But people appreciate our work, which really is that it give, give us a boost about our, uh, the, the painting That sounds really quite positive. And you know, I guess before I ask my next question are, do you help out on some of the stalls? Are you one of the ones who kind of help staff the stalls to sell cards?

Sell? Uh, yes. I mean, obviously.

Towards homeless. So homeless ma Uh, from time time we have popup stores either in the, in the, uh, uh, on the office building or on the, uh, street fair, summer Fair. So we always try to participate and I try to contribute, you know, to homeless matter, make it work. And, uh, from there, it works up to our, our advantage really because, uh, we're able to meet the public because sometimes when you go to the store, you just bought a card and they never actually meet themselves.

So it is quite good. Feelings that people say, oh, you're the artist there. Wow, I love your work. You know, you're so talented, whatever. So really it give us some bit confidence about our work. Yeah. You've answered my next question actually about what people say. So it sounds like people are really positive about your work and the cards that you do.

Yeah, absolutely. Because I mean, the homeless is like.

To the homeless SEC sector because there are a lot of homeless artists. They're so talented there. You won't believe it when you see them believe it. They're so talented that unfortunately they don't, they will never have a chance of, uh, giving the platform to show their work. So really the homeless man really to, um, is another way of show to the, the society that you know.

You know, they're so talented that their work should be appreciated, which that exactly what homeless made to make our artists. Yeah. No, that's such a positive thing. And you also mentioned that you also lead some of the art classes. Mm-hmm. How, how was that for you? Like do you, is it something you enjoy doing and, and interacting with the other artists?

Oh yeah, absolutely. Because, uh, really that, like I mentioned before, uh, being an artist and especially myself, I like to like and inspire other people and, uh, to my artwork. And, uh, by having this art group or a conductor art classes for our guests there, I think that what satisfies the platform is, uh, most of our users, our guests, you know, attend the art group.

They never painted in their life. So obviously they're very nervous, you know, to join the art group there. But, um, I think, uh, as the time went along. They found so confident that because obviously of the art classes, they're able to paint, they're able to create some, uh, beautiful artwork, and then they never, never thought that they could able to do it.

So in that way that you give them some confidence, you know, you can achieve that if you've already put your mind into it. I mean, a lot of our guests keep saying to me, oh no, I never, I never painted like what you do. I never painted anything in my life. They say it doesn't matter, just yourself, the colors express.

And don't worry about what the outcome is, you know, because that is very, very unique piece of art, what you create for yourself. So it's just no, no other second piece in the world. So it should be power of yourself, what you have achieved. I think most of them are guests. I enjoyed it so much. They've been coming here for last two, three years.

They still using, um, my class. So that is quite a, a, a nice way of, uh, to say that, you know, really I have achieved what I, art.

I've been invited by other companies. To do the evening class with the employees in that, in the, uh, company, what we call the sit and just sit and drink. Or sit and sit. And so after work, and then they stay back and they have a two hour sessions with me, have fun, and then they have to.

I think that that one, it was a biggest challenge for me. And then, uh, I, I was so happy that I had done three or four sessions now so far, and then that the, the biggest challenge was, uh, there was a group of, uh, 40 people in the group. It was daunting. So yeah, so Michael, me and and my manager, there would be three of us, or we were there and, um, all the evening there, 40 people there.

Yeah. Gosh. Yeah. That's an achievement. But also I can see why it's scary. It's very scary. It was scary, but, um, I mean, uh, I, I, at first I was so nervous. But, uh, after a while, I was all right with it because I think, you know, people, I, I saw that people start enjoying themselves there and that they're having a relaxing evening.

And, uh, apart from the painting, I think they managed, uh, to do a bit like, um, team building because, you know, to, to know each other. Team building exercise as well. So ladies, it's just not a painting evening and that it's a social event and that it's nice it make few, uh, uh, new friends as well. That sounds really great, and it certainly has opened doors to more opportunities for you, hasn't it?

Oh yeah, definitely. Um, yeah. But, but I think obviously, you know, we came, we came a long way, the journey, um, we've been, uh, five years now, so obviously we were looking for some, um, challenges, uh, apart from, uh, creating cards and, uh, design some painting on the Converses. And we're looking, looking for some new products.

Mm. To expand our horizons. So yeah, it's an opportunity too. Yeah. But great. It sounds like you've achieved so much, which is really, really quite positive and wonderful. Just wanna thank you. It's for sharing your story. Oh, you are welcome and nice talking to you. Likewise, I'm welcoming Michael back. So it sounds like one is just transformed from, you know, perhaps not being as confident to actually sort of teaching a group of 40 how to paint and having cards.

Yeah, exactly. I mean, he is really opened up and he blossomed and is flourished through this exercise and, and it's just been a real joy to see his confidence grow, um, and his esteem and his belief in himself because he is good enough. He really is. And I'm sure the others who are involved, you know, it's certainly a confidence builder, isn't it?

Yeah, of course. Yeah. So what's next, Michael, sort of looking forward, you know, Guan has mentioned, you know, potential new products for the homeless maid, but what's the next steps for, for a charity who's turned 40 this year? So, that's really good question. We, um, this year's a busy one as we celebrate turning 40 and the lives changed.

As we try and take stock and do better, and as we, um, look to the future. So we've actually redesigned our logo, um, with a 40 on the top of it and we've got the words yesterday, today, tomorrow, as we look back, take stock and prepare for the future. Sadly, rough sleeping continues to rise year on year, on year.

Um, even last year it was up by another thousand and over 13,000 people flat, rough at some point in London. So it's, it's hard for us because we are a four story townhouse. And on Sunday, sadly, there are people who've come in having spent a night in the cold and the wet to a warm welcome, but nowhere to sit.

So they've been sat on the floor in the wintertime, so we know we need to do better. So we are pleased that we've been granted planning permission to raise our roof, to convert the T into a brand new purpose-built art studio and group work room where our artists will have natural light pouring in through the ceiling.

Where they can truly reach for the stars as SCL seven once sang about. Um, so that's what we're hoping to do. The figures are in, we need to raise about 300,000 pounds to do that work, but we have a plan. We've got, we're confident we'll be able to do it. We won't start the work till next year because we don't want any disruption over the winter period, but hopefully by this time next year, or certainly by the time it gets to October next year when we actually will then move to being 41, we'll have transformed our spaces with a new, with.

Loft conversion, an extended laundry, and a new sitting room in where the, the room where the current art studio is. Um, and a, a library room in, in what's currently in office. So we'll have enhanced our spaces and the offer that we can make to our guests. So that's the plan for this year. But ultimately, we are a project where we want all our guests to be able to belong.

Contribute and then they'll be able to thrive. So we must keep that in mind as we go through the year, how we enable people to do just that. I wanna leave you perhaps, or you may have other question. Sorry, that was presumptive, but I wanna, I wanna mention a quote from, um, former US president's, um, wife, lady Bird Johnson.

Who that art is a window into a man's soul. We wanna see our guests, we actually wanna see beyond the presentation. When they walk through the door, we actually wanna understand them. We wanna see them inside, out and outside in so that we can do our level best to help them and support them, and they can, um, shine through the, through the work we offer.

Um, so yeah, that's kind of one of the thoughts I had and it's a really wonderful quote and, and certainly a really good thought. I guess for me, kind of a final question is, you know, it sounds like through the arts program and also the homeless made social enterprise, you know, just thinking back to earlier when we're talking about connections, it sounds like it also has, you know, broadened those connections either with other organizations, companies, people, and perhaps the awareness.

And I guess, you know, that's one observation, which leads to my question is, you know, has that helped in terms of being able to plan for things like. Refurbishment and, and kind of building on the building that you have to make it, to give you more room really. Yeah. So the, the way it's helped us to connect has just been wonderful because we've reached people we would not have had any opportunity to reach before, um, without the arts program.

And you know, people have got involved, they've bought our cards at homeless may co uk or they've sponsored a print run. We've had two people who've said, I will pay for the next print run so that all the cards sold a pure profit. Other people have said, well, we'd love to have your art in our office block, or us to do an art exhibition in invite our friends and people to see it.

So it has connected us and it's just been a way of making new friends. We've got a big gala event in October at one of our funders, and we'll have art all around the room for sale. Um, but hopefully as well to, to show people and showcase what we do, what, what creativity and talent there is amongst our community.

Um, and hopefully people will, will want to do more to get involved because. We, we hear from time to time politicians saying, I'm going to end homelessness. Boris Johnson said it would end up sleeping by 2012. Sad Khan has promised he will end up sleeping by 2030. Prince William has said he will end up sleeping too.

None of them will not by themselves. It's only by doing things together. Together that we will end homelessness, and that that's not just from those who work in this sector. It's from the wider community, the business community, individuals wanting to make a difference. If we don't come together, we'll just continue to see homelessness rise.

And you know, that's probably a very powerful message to end on. So I'd like to thank you and Guan for being part of this podcast and, and for, um, certainly this episode. But I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you both, particularly for sharing your stories and, and sort of your journey through the art programs and being part of this podcast.

So thank you. Great. Thank you for having us. Thanks for tuning into my conversation with Michael Igu from the Baron's Court Project. The work reminds us that creativity isn't just about aesthetics, it's about connection, healing, and giving voice to those who are often unheard. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out the Baron Court's projects website and social media handles.

Links are in the show notes, and if this episode resonated with you. Please share it with a friend. Leave a review, or help spread the word. Your support keeps these stories alive. In the next episode, I'll be speaking with Holly Searle, who's known as the subversive Stitcher. Holly transforms vintage tea towels into bold and embroidered statements that challenge social norms and spotlight issues close to her heart.

Her work is witty, defiant, and deeply personal. Turning domestic textiles into platforms for protest and empowerment.