Hundreds of DIY rainbows have been sent to children across Fenland during the coronavirus lockdown in a bid to “make life a little brighter”.
The scheme, aptly named Boxes of Rainbows, was formed by social enterprise Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network.
Boxes of Rainbows usually donates crafts resources to children with chronic illnesses, however it is now being used during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The project has provided free creative resources to hundreds of families, the first 200 boxes went to over 450 children across the region.
Thanks to additional funding, further rounds of boxes will continue into August, bringing the final total in at 1,100 Boxes of Rainbows for Fenland families.
Nikki DiGiovanni, founder, said: “It is amazing how quickly we were able to go from idea to delivery simply because everyone involved just wanted to spread some joy to the lives of local children.
“My heartfelt thanks goes to all the people that worked so hard to make this happen, it has been wonderful and we hope that other organisations might like to donate resources to be able to help us do much more in the months to come.”
Support for the project has come in from Cambridgeshire County Council, Fenland District Council, 20Twenty Productions and Clarion Futures.
Boxes of Rainbows have also received support from the Oasis Community Centre, People and Animals, Living Sport, Active Fenland, March Food Bank, CHS and Smurfit Kappa.
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation provided £4,200, Clarion Futures gave £5,000 and £1,000 came from Cambridgeshire County Council’s ‘Community Reach Fund’.
Matt Parsonage, head of communities at Clarion Futures, said: “The coronavirus outbreak has brought communities together to support each other which has been wonderful to see.
“We’re proud to support the Box of Rainbows scheme which is making a huge difference to local children and families and look forward to seeing how the project develops.”
Katherine Nightingale of 20Twenty Productions said: “We are delighted to partner with Rainbow Boxes.
“Thank you to the Fenland Youth Advisory Board for funding the materials to support the activities for our Neuron’s packs.
“Neurons is a range of free creative activities that are sent via Mailchimp, they are created by artists and are easy to follow giving children something creative to do during this unprecedented time.”
Ashlea Smith of Living Sport: “We are delighted to play a part in the Rainbow Box distribution and support families during this difficult time.
“A big thank you to Sport England, ‘Families Fund’ programme who’s funding made this possible.
“We will continue to support people across the county to stay active during this time of uncertainty.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here