Between October 2019 to end of December 2020 I am aiming to raise 10K for Clowns Without Borders UK through a range of community building activities, sales of work and direct fundraising drives. This is not something I can do on my own and I hope that you will love what I have to offer and want to get involved.
The money raised through the campaign will help the charity establish a regular presence at the Moira Refugee Camp in Lesvos, Greece. The camp is four times its maximum capacity and none of the larger charities have a presence there. The Clowns will deliver family play sessions to help children laugh, play, forget their struggles and be children again. These interventions create precious respite from the day to day horrors of camp life – offering hope, kindness and solidarity to support children’s wellbeing and help them to process what is happening.
Why Clowns Without Borders UK? I personally know the Director of the charity with whom I have worked on community and participatory arts projects since 2009, as well as a number of the clowns. I can vouch for the quality and integrity of the work they do as well as its positive impact. In addition, the administrative team is small, donating much of their time for free. Their artists – professional performers and musicians – also volunteer their time and expertise for free. They are clowns not in the scary dubious sense but in the joy-filled laughter-giving playful sense offering hope and solidarity, helping to re-build communities.
Why do this?
Right now, there are a billion children who live in areas affected by conflict, war or disaster. When this happens children are often the first group in any population to lose their rights; the right to be a child. Clowns Without Borders aims to bring this back encouraging children to laugh, play and forget their struggles…to simply be children again. The clowns do this by creating unique opportunities for children to engage with performances created by expert clowns, jugglers, acrobats and musicians.
Community and a love of people are at the heart of my practice. This fundraising drive is a way to nourish, build and develop my own personal and professional communities whilst simultaneously benefitting more vulnerable people in need of our help.
In our current climate creating more love and connection in the world is vital.
Calendar of Events:
December: (coming up next)
> Pause and Connect – a day retreat for Creative Professionals 16/17 December. All money raised will be donated. £45 / person. Email me to book – alex@alex-mcintyre.co.uk
>Sponsored climb – On 18th December I am going to climb for as long and as high as I can on an indoor climbing wall. I have never climbed in my life. I don’t really have a head for heights and when my friend Ruth, a climbing instructor, suggested this I thought… eeek… ok. If you would like to sponsor me you can here:
> Open Studio 7th December. 10% of all sales of work donated to Clowns Without Borders UK.
November: Sales of cards and prints in London and New York raise £57.50
October:
> Launched limited edition print in two sizes (A2 and A3) with 10% of profits donated to the Clowns.
>Launched sales of packs of Art + Charity Cards for £12.50 per pack with 10% of profits going to Clowns without Borders UK – raising £114 so far
> Ran Royal Parks Half Marathon raising £1650. I ran with a team with a team of 20 other people and together we raised £13500 for the Clowns.
How can you get involved?
Host an art brunch. You provide the brunch and the guests, I provide the art and the artist (participating invited artists only) 60% of sales go direct to the artist and 40% to Clowns Without Borders UK.
Be part of the fundraising team! Get in touch if you love this idea and want to help raise more money. Email me alex@alex-mcintyre.co.uk
Attend a workshop / buy a print or card / support the charity long term directly.
Registered Office: 118, Sternhold Avenue, London, SW7 5JU. United Kingdom