During the coronavirus pandemic, Cowes-based business owners Kathy Chillistone and Dave Winter, of ChilliWinter, have successfully raised over £2500+ for Mountbatten Isle of Wight. With their handmade Rainbow Collection, every product sold is not-for-profit, with a direct donation going to Mountbatten’s charitable funds. Collaborating with Havenstreet-based artisans Firestone Studios, a range of unique hand-thrown ceramic pieces now complement the Collection, directly contributing to the fundraising focus.
“We, and Mountbatten have been so grateful for the positive response from our community. The Rainbow Collection has been extremely popular, and so it is here to stay! All of our Spring and Summer fayres and events on and off the Island, have understandably been cancelled, which is a great shame for everyone. We decided to turn our minds and energy to something positive and fulfilling in recent weeks, and now – our focus is shifting again. We are delighted to launch our ‘Hello Sunshine!’ Collection, which combines both our handmade ChilliWinter candles with handmade Firestone Studios ceramics. This range is designed to be bright and uplifting, just as sunflowers are!“.
The Sunflower is an iconic image, and although it doesn’t have a particularly notable fragrance, it is widely admired for its beauty. Not only because of its naturally bold architectural stature and colourful varieties, but because the sunflower is a symbol of resilience – of happier and brighter times. To quote Helen Mirren’s character from the popular 2003 Calendar Girls Film: I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that more trumpets life than the sunflower. For me that’s because of the reason behind its name. Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun. During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. And that’s such an admirable thing. And such a lesson in life.”
Daniella Johnson, Community Events Fundraiser at Mountbatten said
“We are over the moon that ChilliWinter and Firestone Studios are supporting our Sunflower Campaign this year! Their Rainbow Collection generated so much interest, which we and our beneficiaries deeply appreciate. Their brand new ‘Hello Sunshine!’ Collection is simply gorgeous and is set to be a great success! This is such a challenging year for the whole team at Mountbatten. We have received some additional government funding, which will take off a little pressure, however our normal fundraising campaigns, and events like the Isle of Wight Festival have had to take a completely different direction for us. Having the help of local businesses like this, is invaluable, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who continues to contribute to our coronavirus appeal.”
ALL ChilliWinter ‘Hello Sunshine!’ candles and Firestone Studios ceramics are made at a NOT FOR PROFIT PRICE, and with a donation from EVERY piece sold going directly to Mountbatten Isle of Wight. Mountbatten provides vital services across the Isle of Wight Community to provide care to those most in need: https://www.mountbatten.org.uk/
Each ‘Hello Sunshine!’ piece is hand-made on the Isle of Wight. Gift-wrapping and postage across the UK is available, together with an Isle-of-Wight ‘click and collect’ option. To find out more about the Rainbow or ‘Hello Sunshine!’ Collections, and buy online, go to www.chilliwinter.co.uk/shop and follow ChilliWinter on social media for their latest news.
