Shropshire Star

Telford presentation as crafty celebrities raise thousands for charity

They are household names for their performances on the big screen and as authors of best-selling novels - but one group of celebrities unleashed their crafty side by designing hand-made greeting cards for charity.

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Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, best-selling Fifty Shades of Grey author EL James, sixties icon Twiggy, and Downton Abbey's Phyllis Logan are some of the famous faces to have made unique cards for crafting company Stampin' Up! UK.

They were sold off at a Cards For Keeps auction in aid of children's charity Coram - and the £8,578 raised was presented to charity officials at a regional Stampin' Up! conference at Telford International Centre on Saturday.

The campaign invited celebrities to craft their own cards, with the resulting mini works-of-art auctioned on eBay.

Tom Hiddleston – star of the Marvel films – produced a heart-design card which attracted bids upwards of £2,500.

Cumberbatch's art was an eye catching bird in blues and greens and inside he shared inspirational quotes from Henry David Thoreau, Vincent Van Gogh and Robert Browning.

Twiggy's card was a stylised eye and flower in pink and green, while Karl Pilkington created a big monkey wearing green clothes.

For the second year running Stampin' Up! held its annual regional event for its UK demonstrators at the International Centre in Telford.

At the event, Paula Gorry of Stampin' Up! UK presented a cheque to Coram's corporate partnerships executive Martin Cooper.

Ms Gorry, the company's UK business development manager said: "Stampin' Up! has a long and proud tradition of supporting philanthropic causes.

"For 275 years, Coram has been transforming the lives of some of the UK's most vulnerable children through services such as Adoption and Creative Therapies.

"With the help of celebrities and their wonderful crafting skills, Stampin' Up! UK is raising funds in recognition of this important work.

"Cards for Keeps offered people a chance to own a unique piece of artwork whilst supporting a truly valuable cause and we are thrilled with the amount raised."

The gallery of cards can be viewed at www.pinterest.com/cardsforkeeps

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