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.

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. ​

UK PROJECTS

OVERSEAS PROJECTS

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

​​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 & their families with dignity & 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.
Picture
Neema Crafts Centre, Tanzania, 2016

OUR TEAM

Laura Balerdi
overseas director
Steff Winter
Café Manager
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Clare Harris
Mosaics for Schools Project Lead
Liz Cluderay
Uk director
Milly Whitaker
Sales and marketing lead
Georgia Stockburn
Volunteer Coordinator
Isobel Hallett
Workspace Skills Trainer
Sarah Davis
Finance director
Sara Troup
Artizan Organics Project Lead
Susie Hart MBE
Founder 
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Dr Richard Hall
Chair of Trustees
Richard has been a GP for over 30 years, and a trustee since the charity was formed. He is passionate about enabling equality and opportunities in all individuals. It has been a privilege to be part of a passionate team that has grown the charity in both  UK and Latin America. The result has been the transformation of lives of people with disabilities,  allowing them to develop their potential, as well as changing society attitudes.
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.
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.
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.
Rev Dr Alan Garrow
Alan is Vicar of St Peter's Church, Harrogate. Alan joined St Peter’s, along with Emma and their two school-age children, in April 2016. Prior to training for ordination Alan worked for the NHS in an Occupational Therapy department and with the Children's Society sharing life with young people with disabilities. His main hobbies are art and design and trying to find out more about first century history. ​
Lisette Robinson
Lisette is a new trustee to Artizan from December 2022. She has worked in Finance in Social Care for the last 8 years and is looking forward to offering a local charity her business and financial knowledge to assist them in meeting their goals.
Serenity Stewart
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.
Andrena Saripo