Skilled Hands Organisation

I Was Told I Was “Overqualified”… That Rejection Changed Hundreds of Women’s Lives

What happens when rejection becomes purpose?

In this deeply personal story, Sheila, Founder of Skilled Hands Organisation CIC, shares how being told she was “overqualified” after graduating with a First Class Honours degree became the beginning of a journey that has now empowered hundreds of women across Ghana and Nottingham.

Before Skilled Hands Org CIC was founded in the UK, the vision started in Ghana through Gold Heart Organisation, where women and unemployed graduates were trained with practical skills to improve confidence, wellbeing, and financial independence.

Today, Skilled Hands CIC has:
✨ Empowered over 600 women
✨ Organised more than 1,000 funded workshops
✨ Supported women through creativity and community
✨ Helped women start small businesses through artisan skills

Now, preparations are underway for:

✨ Red Carpet 6 – Threads of Resilience ✨

A powerful fashion and storytelling experience taking place on:
📍 Djanogly Theatre, Nottingham
📅 24th October 2026

This year’s runway explores:
• Struggle
• Rebuild
• Rise
• Celebration

Through fashion, drama, creativity, and emotional storytelling, Threads of Resilience is raising funds to continue supporting women and children in the Nottingham community.

We are currently welcoming:
✔ Sponsors and partners
✔ Designers and creatives
✔ Performers and volunteers
✔ Small businesses for brochure adverts
✔ Community collaborators

🎟 Tickets available on Eventbrite

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1986137329217?aff=oddtdtcre…

Every ticket purchased helps us continue changing lives through workshops, creativity, wellbeing support, and skills development.

What is your resilience story?
#lifejourney #changeagent #resilience

3 days ago | [YT] | 3

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Skilled Hands Organisation

Always wanted to learn how to use a sewing machine but didn’t know where to start?

I’m now running a Beginner Sewing Machine Workshop in Nottingham designed for complete beginners.

🧵 Learn how to thread and use a sewing machine
🧵 Build confidence with guided practice
🧵 No experience needed

📅 Every Monday
⏰ 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
💷 £20 per person
📍 Nottingham

Only 8 spaces available to keep the session small and hands-on.

This is perfect if you’ve always wanted to start sewing but felt unsure where to begin.

👉 Message me “SEW” to book your space or get the link or Call: 07432440997 or Email: skills.hands.org@gmail.com

#NottinghamWorkshops #SewingForBeginners #LearnToSew #CreativeWorkshops #NottinghamMums #AdultLearning #SewingClassUK

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 5

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Skilled Hands Organisation

✨ RED CARPET SIX – THREADS OF RESILIENCE ✨
How We’ve Been Doing It

Step onto the red carpet and experience an afternoon of inspiration, creativity, and community celebration at Red Carpet 6 — where fashion meets purpose.

📍 Djanogly Theatre, Sherwood Rise, New Basford, Nottingham
🗓 24 October, 2026
🕒 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM

This is more than an event — it’s a celebration of resilience, showcasing real stories, talent, and achievements from women and young people empowered through Skilled Hands.

🌟 What to expect:
✔️ Powerful red carpet fashion showcase
✔️ Awards celebration honouring outstanding women
✔️ Live performances & inspiring moments
✔️ Raffles, surprises & special announcements
✔️ A vibrant community atmosphere

✨ Upgrade to VIP and enjoy:
🥂 Front-row seating
🍹 Pre-event welcome drink
🍴 Access to the VIP lounge with buffet finger foods
🎁 Exclusive thank-you gift bag

Every ticket helps support community training, empowerment programmes, and life-changing opportunities in Nottingham.

🎟 Secure your seat today:
👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/threads-of-resilience-the-r…

Dress smart, bring your energy, and be part of a movement — not just a show.

#RedCarpetSix #ThreadsOfResilience #NottinghamEvents #CommunityFashion #SupportLocal #SkilledHands

2 months ago | [YT] | 8

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Skilled Hands Organisation

RED CARPET 6 — THREADS OF RESILIENCE ✨

We are excited to announce that Red Carpet 6: Threads of Resilience is coming this October!

Red Carpet is more than a fashion show — it is a celebration of strength, creativity, and transformation. Through fashion, storytelling, and runway presentations, we showcase the journeys of women whose lives have been woven together by courage, skill, and resilience.

Expect an inspiring day filled with stunning handmade garments, powerful stories, awards, exhibitions, and unforgettable runway moments that celebrate community and empowerment.

💫 We are now looking for:
• Models to walk the runway
• Partners and sponsors to collaborate with us
• Businesses and organisations to advertise in our official event brochure

If you would like to be part of this inspiring experience — whether by partnering, modelling, or advertising — we would love to hear from you!

📩 Contact us:
Call: 07432440997
Email: skills.hands.org@gmail.com
Website: www.skilledhandsorganisation.org

Let’s come together to celebrate resilience, creativity, and the power of community.

#RedCarpet6 #ThreadsOfResilience #SkilledHands #EmpowermentThroughCreativity

2 months ago | [YT] | 4

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Skilled Hands Organisation

Celebrating Emerging Talent in Broadcast Journalism Tina Jesson

We are incredibly proud to spotlight Tina Jessen, a broadcast journalism student from Nottingham Trent University, who is currently undertaking her internship with Skilled Hand Sounds — the media arm of Skilled Hands Organisation CIC.

Tina has now hosted her second interview for our Innovative People Podcast, and she continues to be an exceptional addition to our media department.

Her interviewing style carries confidence, curiosity, and a natural flair that keeps listeners engaged right to the very end. She has a unique ability to draw out authentic stories, making every guest feel heard while shining a light on the people across Nottingham and beyond who are adding colour, creativity, and meaningful impact to our communities.

At Skilled Hand Sounds, our Innovative People Podcast exists to celebrate entrepreneurs, community leaders, creatives, and changemakers. Tina embodies that same spirit of thoughtful storytelling and professional excellence.

We are passionate about creating platforms where emerging media talent can grow through real-world experience — and Tina is a wonderful example of how academic training combined with practical exposure can produce powerful results.

We look forward to building even stronger partnerships with Nottingham Trent University and welcoming more aspiring journalists who are eager to develop their broadcasting skills in a live community setting.

If you haven’t yet listened to the Innovative People Podcast, this is your invitation. 🎙️
Real stories. Real people. Real impact.

https://youtu.be/cDAOgd4Sf28

#NottinghamTrentUniversity #BroadcastJournalism #SkilledHands #SkilledHandSounds #InnovativePeoplePodcast #CommunityImpact #MediaInternship #WomenInMedia #NottinghamBusiness #Storytelling #Podcasting

3 months ago | [YT] | 1

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Skilled Hands Organisation

Celebrating Emerging Talent in Broadcast Journalism Tina Jesson

We are incredibly proud to spotlight Tina Jessen, a broadcast journalism student from Nottingham Trent University, who is currently undertaking her internship with Skilled Hand Sounds — the media arm of Skilled Hands Organisation CIC.

Tina has now hosted her second interview for our Innovative People Podcast, and she continues to be an exceptional addition to our media department.

Her interviewing style carries confidence, curiosity, and a natural flair that keeps listeners engaged right to the very end. She has a unique ability to draw out authentic stories, making every guest feel heard while shining a light on the people across Nottingham and beyond who are adding colour, creativity, and meaningful impact to our communities.

At Skilled Hand Sounds, our Innovative People Podcast exists to celebrate entrepreneurs, community leaders, creatives, and changemakers. Tina embodies that same spirit of thoughtful storytelling and professional excellence.

We are passionate about creating platforms where emerging media talent can grow through real-world experience — and Tina is a wonderful example of how academic training combined with practical exposure can produce powerful results.

We look forward to building even stronger partnerships with Nottingham Trent University and welcoming more aspiring journalists who are eager to develop their broadcasting skills in a live community setting.

If you haven’t yet listened to the Innovative People Podcast, this is your invitation. 🎙️
Real stories. Real people. Real impact.

https://youtu.be/cDAOgd4Sf28

#NottinghamTrentUniversity #BroadcastJournalism #SkilledHands #SkilledHandSounds #InnovativePeoplePodcast #CommunityImpact #MediaInternship #WomenInMedia #NottinghamBusiness #Storytelling #Podcasting

3 months ago | [YT] | 2

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Skilled Hands Organisation

Are we underestimating the developmental power of creative activities during school holidays?

As working parents in Nottingham, school holidays can feel like a logistical puzzle.

But beyond childcare, there’s a deeper question:

How are our children developing during these breaks?

Creative craft workshops are increasingly being recognised not just as “holiday activities”, but as environments where children build:

• Focus and patience
• Practical problem-solving skills
• Confidence through completion
• Social interaction in small groups
• Real-world, hands-on abilities

In a digital age, structured creative learning offers something different — tangible outcomes and internal growth.

I’ve written a short blog exploring why half-term and summer holiday craft workshops matter more than we might think, particularly for families in Nottingham and surrounding areas.

If you’re reflecting on how your child spends the next school break, this might be helpful.

🔗 www.skilledhandsorganisation.org/all-you-need-to-k…

#NottinghamParents #HalfTermActivities #SummerHolidayClubs #CreativeEducation #LifeSkills #YouthDevelopment #WorkingParentsUK #CommunityImpact

3 months ago | [YT] | 4

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Skilled Hands Organisation

At school, children are taught how to learn, memorise, and pass exams.
What they’re rarely taught is how to use their hands, explore creativity, or make things.

Yet creativity is one of the skills that supports confidence, wellbeing, and resilience — even later in life when people experience burnout or need alternative income paths.

At Skilled Hands, we believe hands-on learning is just as important as academic learning. That’s why we run after-school craft clubs and creative programmes where children learn practical skills, build confidence, and discover what they’re capable of through making.

I’ve written a blog exploring why creativity matters so much for children — and how practical skills can support them far beyond the classroom.

👉 Read the full blog and find details of our Craft Camp for Kids (now open for registration) here:

www.skilledhandsorganisation.org/all-you-need-to-k…

#Parenting #CreativeLearning #AfterSchoolClubs #ChildrenDevelopment #LifeSkills #NottinghamParents

3 months ago | [YT] | 4

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Skilled Hands Organisation

From not knowing how to use a sewing machine… to selling internationally.

Less than a year ago, Emma Piper walked into Skilled Hands to learn bag making.
At the time, she had never used a sewing machine.

Fast forward to today, and Emma is the founder of Little Robin Threads — a growing handmade business selling beautiful bags:
• on Etsy
• at craft fairs
• in handmade shops around Nottingham
• and even to customers in the United States

What changed?
Access to skills. Support. Encouragement. And the confidence that comes from being believed in.

After completing her course at Skilled Hands, Emma didn’t just build a business — she chose to give back, volunteering her time to support others in the community starting their own journeys. Skilled Hands helped her develop a skill, but more importantly, it helped her discover what she was capable of.

Emma recently joined us on Innovative People’s Podcast, interviewed by Tina Jason, where she shared her story openly — the challenges, the growth, and what it really means to turn learning into livelihood.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that skills change lives, and when community meets opportunity, incredible things happen.

🎧 Watch the full episode here:
👉 From Beginner To Business | EMMA PIPER
https://youtu.be/SHADeOpplo4

If you believe in empowering people through practical skills, confidence-building, and community-led impact, this episode is for you.

#InnovativePeoplesPodcast #SkilledHands #WomenInBusiness #SmallBusinessUK #CraftEntrepreneur #NottinghamMakers #SocialImpact #ConfidenceThroughSkills #CommunityEmpowerment

3 months ago | [YT] | 4

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Skilled Hands Organisation

Every Skill Learned Can Change a Life

At Skilled Hands, we don’t just teach craft skills, we help women rebuild confidence, improve wellbeing, and create pathways to financial independence.

One of the women you’ll see featured on this page came to our bag-making workshop with little more than curiosity and hope. Today, she has started her own small business, earning income, improving her health and wellbeing, and believing in herself again, all because someone invested in her potential.

We are raising £5,000 to continue training more women in our community, women who are unemployed, on low income, or juggling caring responsibilities, and who simply need the right opportunity to thrive.

💛 Your donation will help provide:
• Free, high-quality craft skills training
• Materials and tools for workshops
• A safe, supportive space for women to learn, connect, and heal
• Real opportunities for women to turn skills into income

No amount is too small. Every contribution helps empower a woman. Every share helps reach another life.

If you believe in community, empowerment, and giving women a hand up — not a handout — please donate or share today.

👉 www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/skilledhands-organ…

Thank you for supporting women, skills, and stronger communities 💛

#justgiving #donate #SkilledHands #supportlocal

4 months ago | [YT] | 6

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