Charity tie-up brings art to children as The Eco-friendly Card Co marks 30 years
Thirty years of The Eco-friendly Card Company are being celebrated by partnering with local autism charity Asperations to fund an art therapist to work with children.
Director Sue Morrish decided to mark the art card publisher’s three decades with the link after finding out the charity was threatened with closure through a BBC Spotlight TV appeal when all its grant funding had dried up.
“I believe creativity can be helpful and healing,” said Sue, who runs The Eco-Friendly Card Co with husband and photographer Scott, “and, with our background in publishing art too, it felt that supporting Asperations by funding their art therapist would be a real privilege and a lovely way of doing something to mark our 30th anniversary.”
The Devon-based business has provided funding for a new art therapist who is based in a quiet room working with small groups on arts and crafts for the small charity, which provides support for parents, siblings and children with autism, ADHD, Asperger’s, and learning disabilities.
Sue added: “After visiting some of the charity’s fundraising events and listening to parents and children who were supported by Asperations, it was clear that it was making a really positive difference.”
The charity has annual running costs of around £20,000 and relies on donations, and chairperson Claire Pitkin said: “We just want to say thank you for this kind donation, which has enabled us to fund our fantastic art therapist for another whole year!
“This money will allow us to continue with our valuable work, supporting children with autistic spectrum conditions and their families. We’re so grateful for your generous support, which is very much appreciated.”
Scott founded the business as Glebe Cottage back in 1993 as an art student to pay for his new darkroom in his garden shed in the garden of the original house.
Sue was on board within a couple of years and the business now uses distinctive work from contemporary south-west artists and Scott’s pictures, as well as working with The Wildlife Trusts, to supply art and photographic greeting cards, calendars and stationery to independent retailers across the UK.
The publisher’s environmental commitments include exclusive use of alcohol-free print technology, 100% recycled board and envelope paper, green energy and UK manufacture. In 2006 it became the first direct-to-retail greeting card publisher in the UK to obtain an FSC Chain Of Custody certificate and the first to use compostable packaging.
