ETHOS AND COMMUNITY
Beyond jewellery... our projects, community and passions
OUR GALLERY AND WORKSHOP TEAM
We are a small but amazing team consisting of mainly girls and just one gentleman (not in the picture) who tends to work from his own workshop down the road to save fuel and the environment. Each one is highly skilled and immensely talented in their own right and is an essential cog in the wheel that keeps our small business moving.
(from left to right)
Sara, Emma, Nia, Mari and Carina
SUPPORT LOCAL
We want to be a business that is a force for good within our community. It is important for us to be able to use our position as a business and play a positive role.
Throughout the year we choose two or three local as well as national charities to support.
Some of the local charities we have supported have included the following:
Jac Lewis Foundation, Aloud, Elysium Community Arts National Eisteddfod of Wales, Peace Mala, Shelter Cymru, women in Wales and Angor.
EDUCATION
Mari is passionate about design, craftsmanship, the business of running a successful art and design company and supporting the arts and crafts industry.
Her dedicated and experienced workshop team have supported work experience to students and also she often opens her gallery and workshop to schools and groups for educational talks.
Mari is a visiting lecturer in Carmarthen School of Art and Birmingham School of Jewellery where she also supports their Design for Industry Awards by offering free business mentoring and exhibitions to the prize winners.
She has also been an entrepreneurial role model for the Welsh Government's Big Ideas Wales visiting schools and colleges throughout South Wales.
Often engaging with local schools she recently supporting Ysgol Cymraeg Llangennech / Llangennech Welsh School by spending time with ages 7-11 on a project teaching them metal working skills and the science behind the materials.
SUPPORT WELSH MUSIC
As a passionate advocate for the arts in all its varied forms, Mari has worked closely with “The Aloud Charity” for years, originally with their founder Tim Rhys Evans, and then with Only Men Aloud, Only Boys Aloud and Aloud Girls.
Like many arts charities, they are struggling. There has been a devastating rise in cases of poor mental health among men and boys. We might think of it simply as singing, but it is so much more than that.
With the few final pieces left from Mari's original OMA collection we are selling them to raise money for this worthy cause, and donate ALL proceeds to The Aloud Charity.
This is a final chance to own one of these iconic pieces. Thank you for your support, Mari x
OTHER CHARITY COLLECTIONS AND WORK
As a business we are proud to also support the following national charities with monthly donations
Amnesty International
Cancer Research
Oxfam
Latterly we supported the effort to help Ukrainians by making and donating three 18ct gold rings to raffle through the sale of tickets - all money raised went to the charity the Disasters Emergency Committee
PLANT A TREE
With EVERY purchase you make from our web site, you help us plant a tree!
We decided to partner with Ecologi as a way for us to play a role in helping to revive and restore our planet. Through projects supporting tree planting to community restoration each purchase you make on line from Mari Thomas sends a percentage of the sale automatically and directly to these projects. Check out how many we have planted to date here
Ecologi are aligned with our values and are a fantastic gold standard, B - Corp organisation who are authentic and transparent – with their range of projects supported through their organisation being easily accessible.
If you want to get involved click on this special link