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sarah crosby raised £18,318 from 468 supporters
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Closed 14/07/2024
Iʼve raised £18,318 to help Joanna Williams of Fire Iron Art who lost her entire workshop in the fire at the Underfall Yard Bristol UK
- Underfall Yard, Bristol
- Funded on Sunday, 14th July 2024
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Story
On Saturday 6th May 2023 a huge fire ripped through the Underfall Yard on Bristol harbour destroying a number of buildings and businesses including Joanna Williams blacksmiths workshop - Fire Iron Art.
Thankfully and most importantly no one was killed or injured . A man has been charged with arson.
Joanna is absolutely devastated by what has happened and has been advised by numerous sources that nothing will be recoverable. As the workshop is too unsafe to enter she is still unable to see up-close the total destruction inside, so remains in shock.
“It is too unimaginable to comprehend and I remain in disbelief at the fact I have just lost everything in one night".
Joanna would have been celebrating her 10th anniversary at the Underfall yard later this year. She set up the forge with her life savings in order to follow her dream as a blacksmith, but now it is all gone.
Sadly the insurance did not cover the contents of the workshop which makes her loss even more tragic and why we are appealing for donations. Specialist machinery, equipment and hand tools that took her over a decade to acquire and make were destroyed along with sculptures, sketch books and so much more. Many items being irreplaceable.
Money raised will support and enable Joanna to recover from this enormous loss and get creating again, until then she is unable to carry on working and has lost her livelihood.
During Joanna’s 14-year career as a professional blacksmith she has worked hard to build her business single-handedly, investing everything in it.
My forge wasn’t just my workshop, it was my artist studio, my home from home, it enabled me to be independent and was the culmination of over 20 years of hard work, it was everything.
Over the years, she has welcomed countless visitors passing through the Underfall yard into her forge who wanted to take a look at a traditional craft in action. She has opened her doors and demonstrated for various events and has passed on her knowledge and skills to numerous students.
With your donations, we can help her rise like a phoenix. Thank you
Updates
8
- 5 months ago
sarah crosby
5 months agoThank you for all your support. I really appreciate your very kind help. This page is now closed but keep in touch via https://www.facebook.com/fireironart/ and please email me at fireironart@yahoo.com if you would like to contact me directly. With thanks Joanna.
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- 7 months ago
sarah crosby
7 months agoThank you to everyone who has kindly donated to my appeal. I am very grateful for all your support and generous donations. I really appreciate all the words of encouragement and well wishes which have given me strength throughout the last year. Thanks to your help I will be creating again. Please keep an eye on my social media 'Fire Iron Art' for news and updates. Thank you again, Joanna.
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- 1 year ago
sarah crosby
1 year agoAn update from Jo - Thank you for all the generous donations. Your continued support is grateful and appreciated. I will be selling three sculptures that survived the fire at Nature in Art Museum, Wallsworth Hall, Gloucester GL2 9PA on 28th & 29th Oct along with the last pieces created in my workshop before its destruction. My water birds are now truly Phoenixes! Hope to see you there. Joanne
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Supporters
468
Anon
May 6, 2024
I hope you get back to working asap. And I hope to do a course with you as soon as possible.
Anonymous
Mar 30, 2024
Malaika Rose
Mar 29, 2024
I hope you get to restore your work which is hopefully not going to be a lost art. Malaika from Glasgow
£5.00
Anonymous
Mar 26, 2024
So sorry about the devastation that the arsonists fire caused you.
£50.00
Chris
Mar 25, 2024
Keep on going
£25.00
Anonymous
Mar 12, 2024
Anonymous
Feb 18, 2024
£20.00
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