Crafting social change with Elena Lo Presti of Craft Forward

Elena Lo Presti is the founder and director of Craft Forward, which is a not-for-profit organisation that provides accessible, creative, experiences suitable for everyone, regardless of their skills and background. Their aim is to disrupt the current elitism within the arts and crafts world and open creativity to all through workshops with a clear social impact. Elena joins me to speak about her own personal story learning to knit as a way of connecting with her grandmother during the pandemic, and tells the story of how she turned this new passion into Craft Forward. Craft Forward Website: https://craftforward.com/ To donate to the Blankets for London campaign (before 10th November 2024): Blankets for London Instagram: @craft_forward ------------- 🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time. 🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars: The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout Knitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm. Here's how to stay in touch: 💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter 📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond Mentioned in this episode: How to support the podcast Thank you so much for listening. If you value the podcast and would like to support it, here's how: 1. Sign up to our monthly newsletter here: https://creativerestoration.org/newsletter/ 2. If you've enjoyed the podcast please leave us a rating and a review to help others hear about it. 3. Please consider sharing the podcast on social media or send it to a friend who might enjoy it. Thank you so much for your support, we really appreciate it. Join us to learn more about the mental health benefits of knitting!` We are running our popular webinar The Healing Power of Knitting on Tuesday 14th July 2026 at 7pm BST and we'd love you to join us. Click the link below to find out more: https://creativerestoration.podia.com/the-healing-power-of-knitting-live-webinar-july-2026