If you listen to the news these days in seems we're are in particularly troubled times. Maitri Studio was established to bring a place of calm and happiness to Belfast, to make the world a better place, albeit on a tiny scale.

So this winter we want to give to those who are struggling, a gift of generosity in the run-up to the winter solstice and Christmas.

I was recently reduced to tears at a recent Kate Rusby (English folk singer) gig where she sang her song 'Life in a Paper Boat' inspired by the migrant crisis and the risks that desperate souls are prepared to take in crossing the sea for a better life. I've also been particularly inspired by my previous work with the Falls Rd Women's Centre, their work with refugee women and local women who might be considered refugees from their own lives due to addiction, domestic violence, deprivation and so on.

Maitri Studio is encouraging people who use our studio, and friends and family, to donate money towards classes that Falls Rd Women's Centre offers to local women, asylum seekers and refugees. The classes that work best across language barriers have been sewing, cooking and yoga, which I know from my own experience could be full of laughs and understanding between women.

We already work in East Belfast with EBCDA and others, so this is also a gift from east to west across Belfast.

We hope you're inspired to join us and give a little too, either through JustGiving or in the studio.

With thanks,
Claire, Geoffrey & the rest of the Maitri team