In response to your article (Embroiderers’ Guild members stick needle in over ‘fait accompli’ changes, 5 March), we wish to set the record straight. The petition presents a biased and incomplete picture, and may have damaged a charity that has existed for more than 100 years. As a registered charity, we are fully accountable to the Charity Commission. Like many small charities, the Embroiderers’ Guild has struggled to maintain its funds and to fulfil its charitable aims. The pandemic has forced us to act fast to ensure the guild exists at all. Our membership, and therefore our income, have declined dramatically.
We share members’ unhappiness. We greatly value the contribution that branches have made as part of the wider stitch and textile art community. We do not want them to close, but are offering them the chance to become independent groups. The trustees have made a proposal that will enable the charity to do the same, ensuring that the collection we own will be protected and accessible. We will continue to share the passion we have for the art of the stitch and find new ways to support the community.
Penny Hill
Trustee, Embroiderers’ Guild
