Hand-crafting from home: How Jennyruth Workshops for Yorkshire adults with learning disabilities has adapted during pandemic

“When am I coming back to see you guys again?” Alexandra Arnall directs the question at Anna Smith, a member of staff at Jennyruth Workshops based in North Yorkshire.
Jennyruth Workshops in Ripon is a productive workshop for adults with learning disabilities, who design, create and sell hand-crafted items. Photo: Jennyruth WorkshopsJennyruth Workshops in Ripon is a productive workshop for adults with learning disabilities, who design, create and sell hand-crafted items. Photo: Jennyruth Workshops
Jennyruth Workshops in Ripon is a productive workshop for adults with learning disabilities, who design, create and sell hand-crafted items. Photo: Jennyruth Workshops

Thirty-year-old Alexandra has been with the productive workshop for adults who have learning disabilities for nearing a decade, working as part of a team that designs and creates a range of handcrafted products.

For the past six months or so though, she has been unable to work and learn on site, with Jennyruth operating remotely since the Covid-19 pandemic prompted lockdown in March.

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We’re talking via video chat when she poses the question of when she might be able to return again. “I’m missing Jennyruth all the time,” she tells me. “I miss the transport I normally go on, I miss all the staff at Jennyruth. I miss my friends.”

Christopher Stanfield, a worker at Jennyruth Workshops, with a planter. Photo: Jennyruth Workshops.Christopher Stanfield, a worker at Jennyruth Workshops, with a planter. Photo: Jennyruth Workshops.
Christopher Stanfield, a worker at Jennyruth Workshops, with a planter. Photo: Jennyruth Workshops.

Located on the outskirts of Ripon, Jennyruth Workshops sees people from across Yorkshire work to produce and sell a range of gifts and products including garden furniture, Christmas decorations, educational toys, nesting boxes and cards.

They’re involved in all stages of the process, from the sourcing and receiving of raw materials to the marketing of the products, and are able to develop craft skills in everything from woodwork to painting.

Their product work is supported by a training and learning programme in areas such as numeracy, literacy and IT and many also volunteer in the community or represent Jennyruth at talks and events.

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The workers, 28 adults with learning disabilities, are supported by a team of staff and volunteers who are committed to helping them achieve their potential, gain confidence and independence, and develop work and life skills.

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“Jennyruth Workshops is one of a kind,” says Anna. “It’s a place that focuses on ability rather than disability, bringing the best out of people in a caring and supportive environment. Our workers have a great sense of pride and achievement in their work.”

“At Jennyruth, they walk through the door and they are themselves, rather than people not being able to get past the disability to the person,” adds chief officer Nicky Newell.

Nicky has been in her current role since October last year but has been involved in Jennyruth for more than eight years. Her daughter Lucy has Down’s Syndrome and, until she suffered a stroke in November, had been at the workshop four days a week.

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“As a parent, what appeals about the workshop is the variety,” Nicky says. “The workers get involved in the business at every point, whether it’s answering the phone, greeting a visitor, making products, designing them, packaging them, promoting them, helping in the office with invoicing, taking orders. There’s a really nice mix of different things.”

Though there are currently no workers on-site – and only a small number of staff – activity at Jennyruth has continued in full-swing. New systems have enabled work to be carried out remotely; a timetable of skills sessions and activities, staff meetings, quizzes and social chats have been running via video calls and a workers’ zone has been established on the website to enable people to access resources from home.

A pick-up and drop-off crate has also been set up outside so workers can collect a pack of materials to make and decorate products remotely, before handing back their finished creations. And they have remained involved in marketing by creating promotional videos and offering ‘worker recommendations’ that set out their favourite products and explain the processes behind making them.

“Things are working quite well and giving them a sense of routine whilst they’re at home,” Nicky says. “What we’ve found is that even workers who were only coming two days a week, some of them are accessing these resources five days a week.”

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For daughter Lucy, the switch online has been a real positive. “It’s meant she’s had more contact than she was doing [before lockdown, after her stroke],” Nicky says. “Lockdown has actually been really beneficial for her because she’s been able to see her friends on Zoom everyday because we’re doing all these remote activities.”

Alexandra, and fellow worker 27-year-old Christopher Stanfield both tell me how much they are missing being on-site at Jennyruth. Indeed, in a poll of workers, 23 said they wanted to return straight away as soon as they could.

“It’s that sense of routine, knowing they’re going to get up in the morning, come into the workshops, do their painting or crafting and see their friends,” Anna explains. “It’s that sense of pride and purpose.”

Alexandra and Christopher are both grateful for the online way in which they’ve managed to keep in touch with their friends. Christopher is enthused he has been able to work on products from home, talking animatedly about the detailed craftsmanship involved in a number of planters he is making as Christmas presents.

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“What we’ve tried to do is keep that connection and community spirit going,” Nicky says. “The Zoom meetings we have where they can see their friends, say hello, chat about what they’ve done and are going to do, that’s so important to them because it might be their only opportunity to chat with the friends they have here.”

Feedback from workers and their families has recognised the online work as keeping people busy and engaged and supporting mental health and wellbeing. “At the beginning some of them wouldn’t even leave their rooms when they found out they couldn’t come in here,” Anna tells me. “It’s great that despite not being in the workshop, they’re still able to progress with skills too,” she adds.

The roots of Jennyruth Workshops go back to 1984, when founders Barrie Evason and his wife Sue and their family returned to Yorkshire after a period of living on the Isle of Skye. There, their son Jonathan, who has Down’s Syndrome, had been working in their crofting business.

Struggling to find anything locally that would match the challenge of his working life on Skye, Barrie and Jonathan began making hand-crafted products from their garden shed.

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In 1989, they turned the woodwork venture into a business, to earn money to buy materials, and named it Jennyruth Workshops in honour of one of Jonathan’s siblings Jennifer Ruth who had died of sudden infant death syndrome as a baby on Skye.

It was later suggested to Barrie that the workshops offered places to other adults with learning disabilities; fundraising began, premises were found and the productive craft workshop was officially opened as a social enterprise in 2004.

Barrie passed away in February this year so never got to see how Jennyruth’s staff, volunteers and workers have adapted to a global pandemic.

“I think he’d be very proud of everybody,” Nicky muses. “I think Barrie would be saying well done to everyone for how they’re pulling together and going above and beyond.”

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Jennyruth Workshops is funded through a mixture of charitable donations, fundraising, grants and profit from sales. Like many charities, its income has been hit by the pandemic, with Nicky estimating it has missed out on between £25,000 and £30,000.

With many craft fairs and other events cancelled, where the team usually sells products, an online shop has been launched to enable people to make purchases digitally. Members of Jennyruth have also been collectively running and walking 600 miles to raise money.

“The fundraiser was a two-fold thing,” says Nicky. “It was designed to try and raise a bit of money to offset [the loss] but also as a bit of a positive mental health kick for the workers.”

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James Mitchinson