Everyone we’re involved with is on a journey of transformation.
For our artisans overseas, it's a journey of empowerment - from despair to hope, from poverty to prosperity & from derision to respect. For our participants with disabilities in the UK, it's a journey from invisible to visible, from isolation to community & from the margins to the centre.
For all the communities we touch, it's a journey towards a more inclusive society where everyone is welcomed, respected & valued as creative members of an inspiring whole.
For all the communities we touch, it's a journey towards a more inclusive society where everyone is welcomed, respected & valued as creative members of an inspiring whole.
Why do we do it?
Our vision is to create a world where disabled people are welcomed, valued and respected as creative contributors to their community and given equal opportunities to their peers. Artizan International enables, empowers and supports people with disabilities to meet their full potential, through therapeutic arts and craft activities and social enterprise.
We create accessible opportunities for disabled people, to enable them to gain skills, reduce their social isolation, show-case their talents to their local communities and thereby be recognised for their abilities, rather than their perceived disabilities. This has a transformational effect on attitudes towards people with disabilities and leads to a more cohesive, inclusive community, where people of all abilities can fulfil their potential, creatively and economically.
We create accessible opportunities for disabled people, to enable them to gain skills, reduce their social isolation, show-case their talents to their local communities and thereby be recognised for their abilities, rather than their perceived disabilities. This has a transformational effect on attitudes towards people with disabilities and leads to a more cohesive, inclusive community, where people of all abilities can fulfil their potential, creatively and economically.
How it all began
Neema Crafts Centre, Tanzania, 2016
Artizan International was founded in 2013 under the name CraftAid International by Susie Hart MBE on her return to the UK after 10 years of living in Tanzania, where she founded the social enterprise Neema Crafts.
The Neema Crafts Centre provides training & employment for people with disabilities. The project started with three deaf trainees on a budget of just £400. The centre has since grown under new directors to employ over 120 people with a huge range of disabilities, all of whom are now able to support themselves and their families with dignity and pride.
The organisation re-branded to Artizan International in Harrogate in 2019 as a more appropriate name for an organisation to pass on this model to other countries where people with disabilities are still living in poverty. We also found that people with disabilities in the UK are often socially isolated and lacking in independence and empowerment in their lives and so Artizan started running free weekly therapeutic crafts sessions for adults with disabilities in the Harrogate & Leeds community. This has of course grown into the training, support, activities and social enterprises you see us running every day in Harrogate.
The opening of our training Café and Creative Space in Harrogate in 2021 was a step change for the organisation and it has grown as a result.
The Neema Crafts Centre provides training & employment for people with disabilities. The project started with three deaf trainees on a budget of just £400. The centre has since grown under new directors to employ over 120 people with a huge range of disabilities, all of whom are now able to support themselves and their families with dignity and pride.
The organisation re-branded to Artizan International in Harrogate in 2019 as a more appropriate name for an organisation to pass on this model to other countries where people with disabilities are still living in poverty. We also found that people with disabilities in the UK are often socially isolated and lacking in independence and empowerment in their lives and so Artizan started running free weekly therapeutic crafts sessions for adults with disabilities in the Harrogate & Leeds community. This has of course grown into the training, support, activities and social enterprises you see us running every day in Harrogate.
The opening of our training Café and Creative Space in Harrogate in 2021 was a step change for the organisation and it has grown as a result.
Our team
Liz Cluderay CEO 
Georgia Stockburn INCLUSION LEAD 
Sara Troup Artizan Organics Project Lead 
Karita Peru Project Leader |
Sarah Davis Operations & Finance Officer 
Steff Winter Café Manager 
Jess Thompson CREATIVE LEAD & VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR |
Susie Hart MBE Founder 
Isobel Hallett Workspace Skills Trainer 
Clare Harris Mosaics for Schools Project Lead 
Carlos and Jessica Ecuador Paroject Leaders |
Our trustees
Terry Wilcox Interim chair of trustees |
Richard Paul Treasurer Richard is a Chartered Accountant with more than 30 years of experience in senior finance roles at board level in a variety of businesses. He lives in Harrogate and has been a member of St Mark’s Church for a number of years. He and his wife, Vanessa, have three grown-up children, Ollie, Henry and George. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, skiing and football, and sings tenor in a local chamber choir. |
Elizabeth Sewell Secretary Elizabeth is a (retired) priest in the Church of England; her last post was as a Residential Canon of Ripon Cathedral. She has been involved with Artizan since 2021 she started sewing for the shop after the first UK Covid lockdown. As well as a wide range of craft activities, her interests include walking and dog sports with her Parson Russell Terrier 'Pixel'. She is passionate about enabling people of all abilities to support themselves and their families and loves the way Artizan demonstrates that ethos so widely, in the UK as well as in Peru and Ecuador. |
Steve Howell Steve is a founding trustee and has served as treasurer, utilising his skills as a management accountant. His day job is with Red Kite Learning Trust as Chief Financial Officer. Steve is a foster carer and a grandparent and likes to get out on his bike. 
Sharon Nielsen Sharon brings a wealth of experience to Artizan International, having transitioned from a 30-year corporate career to become a mindfulness meditation teacher and clinical hypnotherapist. Driven by a passion to help others achieve their full potential, her extensive background in leadership, coaching, and business insight provides a unique foundation for her role as a trustee. Sharon lives in Harrogate with her husband Rolf, and they enjoy walking in the fells and playing padel. |
Carmel Wadsworth Carmel has recently joined the trustee board. She retired in 2023 after over 30 years in senior corporate leadership roles focusing on transformation and customer engagement and hopes to use her skills to help Artizan’s journey. She has lived in Harrogate with her husband for over 25 years bringing up their family. In her spare time she enjoys walking the dog, padel, sailing and travel. 
Shantelle Williams Shantelle is a certified business mentor, and has 20 years of experience in business transformation, project management and strategic leadership. She has recently joined the trustee board and is looking forward to utilising these skills to support Artizan’s journey. With a passion for supporting young people, Shantelle is also a secondary school governor and champion for supporting young people develop life skills. Outside of her professional endeavours, her interests include travel, spiritual guidance and holistic therapies. |
Serenity Howell Serenity has recently joined the trustees and is excited to be a part of Artizan's journey. She is a qualified social worker currently serving as a high school pastoral worker and previously worked in the care sector with both adults and children. She brings great insight through her experience of living with a disability. Outside of work, she enjoys travel and sport. |