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Completing 69 mile run across Hadrian’s Wall.  

Our amazing Sales Manager Jayne conquered The Wall! On 20th June she successfully ran nearly 70 miles, raising an incredible amount of money for two charities including Fashion with Heart Creations who support Jacobs Well.

Our very own Jayne came in as the third fastest women in the UK’s Biggest Ultramarathon The Wall.. Jayne left Carlisle Castle in the pouring rain at 7.00am and arrived in Newcastle at 7.31pm – clocking an impressive 12hrs 31mins for 69.5miles (it was actually closer to 70 miles on her watch). She finished a very respectful 36th overall out of 435 runners who completed the course. Jayne was the leading women for the first 23 miles and then the second women up to the last rest stop at 62miles coming in third women and managing to raise over £2,000 for two charities.

Well we made it, phew! and I just wanted to say a massive thank-you for all your support and kind donations.

Guess who’s gone back to school?  This academic year we are supporting Ammu to complete her vital 10th Standard exams.  Ammu left school early as a child due to ill health but she’s extremely bright and has always been keen to take on administrative work in the Jacobs Well office.  Having joined the tuition classes last week it is no surprise that she’s top of the class already!

Ammu goes to classes every morning from 8am to 10:30am before coming to work at Jacobs Well to study Hindi, English and Kannada languages.

It is a real joy to see the confidence and pleasure Ammu has already gained from her classes

In Ammu’s own words,“I can speak Hindi but this is the first time I am learning to write it and the teacher says I am a very fast learner.  My favourite subject is English since it is what we use in the Jacobs Well office.  I know that by studying hard I can help with more administration work and continue to be an important part of the team in the office.  As well as my career, I know that completing my education will have a big impact on my whole family and any children I have in the future.”

For the last eight months, we’ve had Wonderwoman in the unit. Majella, long-time friend of Jacobs Well and human resources expert, has whipped all our records and procedures into excellent shape – with a smile on her face and the loudest laugh in the room! We will miss her immensely, and wish her all the best for the future. Thank you Majella!

Our amazing Sales & Marketing advisor Jayne has completed three marathons in three years, raising a huge amount of support for Jacobs Well. Every time she says “never again”. Well this year she has really put her trainer-clad foot in it and registered for an ULTRAMARATHON! On 20th June, Jayne will be running 69 miles along Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England to fund life-changing training & development opportunities for disadvantaged women here in Bangalore

Jayne has got her trainers on to run 69 miles in 24hrs across country from the North West to the North East OF England on Saturday 20th June

The challenge is to run 3 marathons (nearly) in 24 hours distance 69 miles from Carlisle to Newcastle along Hadrian’s Wall part of a UNESCO World Heritage site over a mixed-terrain route that incorporates both on and off-road sections with a bag on her back. There are 69 miles to be conquered in just one day. The Wall awaits Jayne

This challenge is one of pure mental ability the head will truly rule the heart.  Your support would truly give Jayne the courage and strength knowing that we are able to help others.

Please visit Jayne Fundraising Page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/69milesin24hrs

Wow.  Fashion Revolution Day was big!  It was amazing to see the world united in action for a more sustainable garment industry.  Australia and New Zealand kicked off the day’s activities with a bang, and then as each continent woke up the movement gained more and more strength, with the official hashtag #whomademyclothes becoming the number one trending topic on Twitter.  Huge numbers of people shared selfies with their labels out, asking the brands about the artisans behind their outfits.  The movement was featured in major publications such as Forbes, the Independent, BBC Newsbeat and Elle South Africa.  There were organised events the world over including film screenings, photoshoots in city centres and workshops where people could ‘upcycle’ clothing to extend its wear.  Particularly effective was this vending machine experiment set up by the Fashion Revolution Germany team to educate consumers on the true cost of cheap t-shirts.  Would you still be able to buy that $2 t-shirt after watching the video?

It was wonderful to see photos and stories from our fellow ‘makers’ in India and the ethical brands they work hard for.  Indian artisans contribute so much talent to the international fashion industry!  We also learned a lot about other sustainable producers all around the world.  Four of our ladies had their photos shared in an official album of ‘makers’ from many different countries.

From the side of the major clothing brands, it was heartening to see some recognition of Fashion Revolution Day from such household names as Marks & Spencer and American Apparel, though there was notable silence from the majority of the brands questioned.  Clearly there is still a very long way to go in this industry before companies are willing to open up about their practices, but the growing strength of consumer feeling cannot be ignored.

Thank you to everyone who supported Fashion Revolution Day 2015.  Let’s keep the momentum going and always ask fashion brands about their production chains and the people who make their clothes.  Let us not forget the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy, and those who continue to work under unspeakable conditions in the garment industry worldwide.  It’s high time for a revolution.

In the words of the organisers,

A revolution is not one day. We believe knowing who made our clothes is the first step in transforming the fashion industry. Knowing who made our clothes requires transparency, and this implies openness, honesty, communication and accountability. It’s about re-connecting broken links and celebrating the relationship between shoppers and the people who make our clothes, shoes, accessories and jewellery – all the things we call fashion.

So, remember to keep asking #whomademyclothes and to hold brands accountable for the people and environment on which their business depends on. We all want a better, fairer, safer, more transparent fashion industry. Let’s use our power to make it happen!

Ursula Celano and Jacobs Well collaborate for ESPE 2014 DUBLIN, Ireland

Are you organising an event or conference and considering a range of promotional materials? Or are in search of a quality fair trade production house with Heart. Explore your options with local design talent and sustainable fair trade production units.

The annual meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology had a little extra flair this year, as attendees were gifted delegate bags produced in collaboration with Irish designer Ursula Celano and Jacobs Well, a fair trade production unit in Bangalore, India.

The ESPE 2014 conference commission for 3200 bags was a fantastic opportunity to create a promotional item with real depth, as the blend of local Irish design with artisan-empowering fairtrade production in India made the shoulder bag a truly unique and mindful souvenir. The scale of the contract gave not only invaluable experience to producers but the financial security needed to expand the workplace unit and thus offer a future of economic and social independence to evergreater numbers of vulnerable women in the local community.

When Celano was commissioned to design the product she successfully pitched for the construction order to go to Jacobs Well, with whom she had an existing relationship for the production of her own eponymous line of home and lifestyle accessories. “I really wanted the commission to make a difference” says Celano. “A conference creates large volumes of promotional and other items. It is a big spend and can make a big impact in a community, given the opportunity it was great to create something desirable and reusable.

It was the biggest order to date for Jacobs Well, established in 1994 to deliver vocational training and employment to disadvantaged young people in South India. The extensive delegate bag project started completely from scratch when, unable to find existing cotton fabric to meet the exact weight and texture specifications, the team liaised with a weaver to produce 1000 metres of bespoke material.

The fabric was to feature an exclusive print. Celano worked with the conference team on designs that would be neutral, stylish and feature children, the final outcome showing her signature fun-loving style in a clean, unobtrusive colourway.

Featuring reinforced seams, an adjustable shoulder strap and a water-resistant inner pocket with several compartments for a tablet computer, reading glasses and anything else a doctor needs to tote around, this ostensibly simple bag was actually a complex construction task before you even consider the scale of production!

On Sunday 25th May 2014, the Mont Saint Michel Marathon welcomed 5000 runners from all over France and many European countries – and amongst them was our very own Jayne Storey!  Given the epic scale of the physical and mental battle they faced over 26.4 miles, the runners could not have been more blessed with the weather or the scenery in the beautiful stretch between Cancale and the World Heritage Site of Mont Saint Michel itself.

Beating back pain and exhaustion with the power of positive thinking, Jayne’s hard training paid off with a final sprint across the finish line as the 39th out of 430 female participants and 756th overall, with a remarkable time of 3 hours and 36 minutes.

The whole team at Jacobs Well is so proud of Jayne and all the effort she continually puts in to supporting the girls and the development of the business.  Jayne’s generous sponsors will enable us to provide further training and education opportunities for the staff throughout the next year, empowering each tailor with the skills and confidence to grow both professionally and personally.

Congratulations, Jayne!  Enjoy a well-earned rest!

It’s been a busy few months here in Bangalore!  From sourcing bespoke fabrics to building relationships with printing units, training new staff members and clarifying our vision for the ways in which we want Jacobs Well to grow, the whole team has been working hard.  Who would dream of adding marathon training to their workload on top of that?  Only one lady.

After saying “never again” last year… Jayne’s got her trainers back on!  With three months of gruelling preparation in the worst of the UK’s weather behind her, she’ll be lining up for the Mont Saint Michel Marathon in northern France on the 25th May and raising funds to support the work of Jacobs Well in Bangalore. Jayne’s cheerleaders have enabled us to invest in so much through their generous sponsorship of her previous two marathons. If you can spare any amount, please do consider encouraging Jayne with a donation through her fundraising page: www.virginmoneygiving.com/JayneStorey

2014 has already brought some changes for our unit here in Bangalore.  We were very sad to say goodbye to Manju, employee of the month for November 2013 and the brightest of spirits whose friendly nature had quickly made her an integral part of the team.  In the one short year she was able to spend with Jacobs Well, Manju worked to an excellent standard on a really wide range of items and was always one of the first to offer help with everything from styling products for a photoshoot, to styling hair for parties.  Manju has needed to move back closer to her home town in another state in order to spend more time caring for her mother; we wish her all the best with her new job and the door at Jacobs Well will always be open for her to return.

Within the same month, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Monica back to the team.  Monica has a long history with Jacobs Well, having completed tailoring training with Oasis in 2009 then joining the unit in 2010.  For several years she undertook further in-house training in embroidery, pattern cutting and advanced sewing machine techniques and developed her skills well.  Taking some time out last year to pursue other opportunities, Monica has been missed and we were happy when she chose to rejoin the Jacobs Well staff this January.  Currently getting straight down to business working on a large order of cotton dresses, we’re excited to see her continue to progress both professionally and personally.  Plus, she makes fantastic tea at break time!

This year we want to support our team members in achieving their educational goals. For some, this means completing their 10th Standard exams; for others, it may be further professional courses in pattern cutting or couture stitching.