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| When weary walkers cross the finish line of this year’s Grove House Midnight Walk they won’t receive the typical combination of a medal and a banana. For the second year running Rachel has created an exclusive finish-line gift for everyone who takes part. |
The gift this year is a bookmark etched with the Midnight Walk logo and dates. Each walker will receive one and will be able to claim a 10% discount when they bring it to the store between June 28th and July 31st!
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Rachel is closely connected to the local hospice and has linked with them in various ways over the past five years. Having taken part in the walk and donated pieces of jewellery to auction, she also holds demonstration mornings where participants are invited to donate to the charity. Furthermore she designed a brooch to help raise money for the hospice - ten percent of proceeds from the sale of her ‘Grove Rose’ brooch go to Grove House.
So how does an independent jeweller respond to the needs of a charity that require a rewarding design piece for 1000 walkers? Rachel said “compared to an average commission where I design for an individual it is certainly a challenge! Early on in the design process I felt that a bookmark would be a lovely idea to explore – it is useful, can be used by both men and women, and appreciated by all ages. All my team at the shop confess they have event medals hidden away in their cupboards – so I wanted to make a piece that could be used practically.”
This pragmatic approach is a contrast to her typical organic style of design. Rachel sees her jewellery as meaningful sculptures and draws her inspiration from weather and nature, making every piece at her workshop overlooking the river Lea. She works with silver, gold, and platinum, precious and semi precious stones, so being asked to create a piece like the bookmark was enticing. “Projects like this enable us to make a difference whilst broadening our design ideas. It is great to work on new designs, and what better time to do so than when we can help a local charity committed to our community.”
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