Creative Collaborators created the Bars to Business rehabilitation program that gave Bearing Gifts its foundation. This innovative model empowers serving prisoners to develop business ideas from inside prison, offering mentorship, accredited training, and real-world enterprise support. It was through this program that the idea for Bearing Gifts was born.

The Tasso Foundation helped bring that idea to life. Their early and essential funding supported the delivery of creative enterprise workshops, development of the Bearing Gifts website, and the production of our first patchwork teddy bears. Their support turned potential into progress, enabling the project to launch with purpose and impact.

The Fashion Technology Academy (FTA) ensures that our participants don’t just make teddy bears—they gain real qualifications too. By providing accredited textile training within HMP Leicester, they equip prisoners with industry-recognised skills that open doors to employment upon release.

HMP Leicester has championed this project from the beginning, hosting the pilot and supporting participants with time, space, and encouragement to build something meaningful from within the prison walls.

Together, these partnerships prove that even in the most unlikely places, powerful things can be created. Bearing Gifts is more than a product—it's the result of shared purpose, care, and a belief that everyone deserves the chance to do good.