Published: 23/09/2024
Hey there Fairandfunky! Can you share a bit about the faces behind Fairandfunky, your quirky name and what you’re all about.
Fairandfunky is a community interest company, based in Holmfirth and led by Helen Robinson and Sophie Root who bring a wealth and depth of educational and creative expertise to the classroom and beyond! Our mission statement is ‘empowering people to take their own little steps to change the world’ and we do that through events, workshops, and more that – highlight global issues and demonstrate the actions we can take to make change.
What does a typical day look like for Fairandfunky?
There is no such thing as a typical day for Fairandfunky! We just have 2 members of staff and together we are the art department, the accounts department, the marketing, HR, finance and admin teams, the workshop facilitators, and in charge of strategic operations. We could either be creating artwork in schools, dressing up as bananas, completing funding forms, running community events, designing new workshops, or anything in between! We love the variety of our work.
Going back to the beginning, what was the “aha” moment that made you decide to start Fairandfunky?
We met when working with Holmfirth Arts Festival on a project called ‘Street Pianos’. We placed pianos around the streets of Holmfirth each decorated on global themes: Fairtrade, recycling, sustainability, and climate change – encouraging people to look at the world around them differently. To stop and think about our place in the world and our impact on it. We LOVED it, and loved the conversations it sparked…….Fairandfunky was born!
We’ve been working with you for ages now. Tell us a bit about how Suma supports you and what made you think, “Yep, these are the folks I want to partner with”.
Ethical values are very important to us. We are passionate about our impact on the world being a positive one so only work with people and organisations who not only care about people and planet but put that into practice too. Suma clearly matches our brand values and walks the talk of sustainability. Suma always strives for change; you never stand still and don’t let the challenges of being a sustainable business stop you. It’s a perfect, and successful, partnership!
Running a business is a journey. What’s been the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourselves along the way?
That we look great in banana suits! (ha ha ha) And that we’re still here, and still in business after 12 years. It’s not easy running a small business, especially one that has strong ethical principles at its heart. We’ve surprised ourselves with our resilience and determination, and our adaptability to change when necessary. As long as what we do empowers people to take a little step to change the world, we’re up for any challenge.
We love a good story! Can you share a funny or unexpected moment from your time as Fairandfunky?
When Helen said yes to a massive pallet of Divine Packaging that arrived on Christmas Eve. We are still using it in workshops almost 10 years later………and Sophie is still laughing about it.
We’d love the inside scoop. What challenges did you face when starting out, and how did you overcome them?
One of our major challenges is being taken seriously as women in business. We have been surprisingly belittled a lot over the years and are constantly faced by people surprised that we can run a business like Fairandfunky. Seeking out fellow strong women in business to build our board has helped give us the determination and commitment we need.
When it comes to your company, what three words do you think best capture the essence of Fairandfunky?
Creative. Empowering. Engaging.
How do you think Fairandfunky contributes to the broader conversation about climate change and the collective power of community/ individual action?
Everything we do empowers people to take little steps to change the world. We create spaces for conversation, not providing all the answers, but giving opportunities for people to think, and hopefully, act. Our school workshops focus on sustainability, and we teach with an innovative style for discussion alongside creative learning. In our community SCRAPtastic workshops we only ever use materials that would otherwise be thrown away – enabling conversations about waste, recycling and the impact we all have with our everyday actions. Our events always give people a chance to talk about their anxieties but also recognise the possibility of hope; knowing that it’s by working together that we ALL take little steps to change the world.
We’re all about positive vibes here. What mantra, action, or piece of advice keeps you going when things get tricky?
We’ve already said it! Little steps change the world. It’s easy to think ‘What can I do, I’m only one person.’ But when we all act together, we’re a powerful force. And we love the quote from Margaret Mead: “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
We also acknowledge that running a business IS tricky. To make sure we remain inspired and enthused we adopted a ‘Day Off, Day Out’ policy last year. Each month we take a day off, out of the business, to explore somewhere new on our doorstep; whether that’s a walk around a local nature reserve, an art gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, a trip to the seaside, or a tour of charity shops. We love it and highly recommend you try it too!
What does the future hold for Fairandfunky?
Who knows?! We’d love to work in more schools across Yorkshire and we’d love to develop Holme Valley Green Week into a vibrant Festival of Ideas. We also dream of opening a SCRAP store with workshop space and more. Watch this space!
Last but not least, what final message do you want to share with our readers?
We strongly believe that as individuals we each have the power to make a positive difference in the world; through the way we act, what we wear, where we shop, and what we do. Our actions matter, and we can all do something (buy Fairtrade, shop local, reuse our resources – the list IS endless!) We hope our actions and our workshops empower people to take their own little steps to change the world.
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