Director in Harrogate Artizan International to open up on about charity's remarkable 13 years of transforming lives

This month will see Artizan International’s overseas director, Laura Balerdi, offer the rare chance to hear the inside story of the Harrogate-based charity at its very own cafe.

In particular, she will talk about its efforts to enable, empower and support people with disabilities to meet their full potential through therapeutic craft activities and social enterprise in the UK and the developing world.

This special event on Wednesday, July 16 is part of Women Winning, a year-long project in Harrogate spearheaded by Soroptimist International Harrogate and District and Harrogate Film Society inspired by International Women's Day.

Artizan’s vision is to create a world where disabled people are welcomed, valued and respected as contributors to their community and given equal opportunities to their peers.

It was set up in 2013 by its inspirational chief executive Susie Hart MBE on her return to the UK after ten years of living in Tanzania, where she founded the social enterprise Neema Crafts.

Originally based in a retail outlet on Oxford Street in Harrogate, in 2021 the charity launched a new innovative Café and Creative space on Cambridge Road.

The priority was to create training, work-experience and high-quality day services and employment opportunities for adults with learning disabilities who otherwise had limited access to education, employment or training.

Another part of the goal was to transform attitudes towards people with disabilities in the local community.

Proud to serve what the charity believes is the “best coffee and cake in town”, tickets for this fascinating event will include a welcome drink and slice of cake.

Doors will open from 6.30pm.

Organisers advise buying tickets in advance to help manage numbers as there only 50 spaces.

For tickets, visit: www.harrogatefilmsociety.org/event-details/women-winning-goes-international.

More information at: www.artizaninternational.org.

Women Winning is Harrogate’s biggest-ever project to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Organisers are seeking to bring the stories of inspirational women from Harrogate’s past and present to new and bigger audiences.

More at: www.harrogatefilmsociety.org/women-winning.