Hello! Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I joined People United 2 1/2 years ago and I can honestly say - (even though I know it sounds clichéd!) that not a day has gone by when I haven't been inspired by the capacity we all have as human beings for acts of kindness and for being creative. I feel extremely proud to be its Chief Executive and to work with the  brilliant team here.

People United is an extraordinary organisation with an extraordinary mission - to create a more kind and caring society through the arts. We use the arts - and their amazing ability to question, soothe, disrupt and surprise - to open our own and other's eyes to the very best in humanity.

My long-held belief that the arts really can make people's lives better, richer and more joyful has been reinforced every day through the work that we do in schools,  communities, care homes, hospitals, streets, parks, galleries and other public spaces (even a beach hut!). The arts can help us to put ourselves in someone else's shoes, see something in a different light and promote greater tolerance and understanding between people. Whether it is through choirs, festivals, Kindness Weeks, neighbourhood projects, artist residencies, performances, resources or mentoring others to make positive change in their own communities, we explore the things that lie at the heart of what it means to live well in the world together.

In essence, we believe that the arts have the power to promote kindness, and therefore have a special role to play in making the world a better place. 

For our 10-year anniversary we're really excited to be doing an event in Canterbury, where we are based. We try to be a catalyst for kindness and hope this event will activate ripples of kindness far and wide!

We live in a complex, fragmented world and some days it can feel like we're surrounded by bad news stories. But there are many, many good news stories about acts of kindness and compassion. So.....on Saturday 29 October we will be working day and night to make a Zine* with a difference - about good news stories - in just 24 hours!

A host of lovely and amazing artists will be helping us to collect and celebrate stories of kindness from across the streets of Canterbury (and beyond) through photography, poetry, animation, music, collage, writing and who knows what else! Everything we gather will then be transformed into a super-special kindness Zine - created from scratch in the studios of the wonderful Sidney Cooper Gallery - and then circulated to Canterbury residents, spreading and inspiring further acts of kindness. (*If you are wondering what a zine is - I see it as being a bit like a home-made newspaper , but on a subject that you love).

This is our first ever fundraising event. We hope it will be the first of many! We have received funding from Arts Council England's Catalyst: Evolve fund that will match any donation - which is an incredible chance for us to amplify the amount of kindness we can inspire through our work.

So please support us if you can by:-

• signing up to be sponsored to do the arts marathon with us (go on!)
• by sponsoring me to do it (if you can)
• by popping in on the day to join in for a bit...
• ....or by just by spreading the word.

Thank you.  

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