While wandering through the streets of Rotherham, you could have come across Grimm & Co, a magical apothecary hidden in plain sight. Venturing in, you may have been surprised to find elves, potions, human disguises, and maybe even a secret door! Behind the fun and excitement of the shop (which caters for magical beings of all types, as a shop elf may explain) you will find a very human story – Grimm & Co is a literacy charity, providing free creative writing workshops to children and young people. It aims to raise confidence, self-belief and skills in young people aged five to 18, championing the writer in every child.
With support from the local community and a grant from Arts Council England, Grimm & Co purchased their new, much larger home on Ship Hill, providing a permanent story destination. While a fantastical transformation takes place at this new home, Grimm & Co hope to be popping up in Rotherham town centre with their retail offering and creative delivery spaces.
The shop contains a wide variety of beautiful gifts and treats, from writing supplies and books, to soaps, tea-boxes and human disguises (aka T-shirts for the non-magical amongst us!). All proceeds from the shop are channeled back into the charity, to fund their ongoing workshops with marginalised children from Rotherham and beyond. The shop has continued online during the pandemic, but Head Shop Elf Sarah is excited to be back in person, welcoming visitors: “We are taking over the area and giving it a truly wonderful feel, where you can wander at your leisure in a magical world. We are bringing together folk and fairytales from around the world, allowing visitors to suspend their disbelief and bring their imaginations to life!”
Deborah Bullivant, Founding Chief Executive, said: “The online shop has served us well and will continue to do so. However, we are so, so excited the physical shop will be open for our wonderful customers again. There will be lots of thrilling mysterious schemes and wild plots to choose from, and most importantly of all, our charity will be working face to face with families, schools, children and young people to ignite their imaginations through the joyful discovery of stories.”
Sarah Dunwell, Chair of Grimm & Co, said: “We are proud that during these last 18 months, Grimm & Co’s team have worked hard to support the children and young people of Rotherham and South Yorkshire. It’s now time to move on to our next chapter, a Pop-Up Story Destination to bring our magic back to the families and customers who visit us.”
If you are intrigued by what Grimm & Co has to offer, why not get in touch with them to enquire about volunteering opportunities? The different strands of the charity mean that Grimm & Co depend on volunteers for many different roles, including within the shop, behind the scenes work, or working with the children and young people as a story mentor, to name just a few. Full training is given, and applications can be made through their website – www.grimmandco.co.uk/volunteering.
In addition to their work with children, families and schools, there are also many free writing activities on their website to inspire creativity in the young and old. Check these out at www.grimmandco.co.uk/activities, or hop onto your broomstick and head over to see them in person!