40 YEARS OF SOLIDARITY

Thirty international people and loads of locals joined us in our 40^th celebration this July 2024.

Hundreds of volunteers, millions of tools repaired, Northern Ireland and Africa communities helped, and loads of lovely people and experiences have been on the way with us for 40 years.

“We wanted to create a world that everyone could want to live in”

Stephen and john wood

We decided to celebrate with those involved in Tool’s history and anyone who wanted to join us in our forty years of achievements.

As a result, from July 3th to 6^th of 2024 we celebrated the anniversary, posting everything and everyone involved on our Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Former and current volunteers around the world, organizations around Ireland such as the Northern Ireland Resources Network, followers, and many other lovely people came to a week of plenty of events!

We drank Victorian tea and learned about dying with indigo. We tried to answer the trickiest questions from a quiz in an old church and also listened and danced to some punk music.

For 40 years, Tools for Solidarity has been a beacon of hope and a force for positive change in our community. What began as a small group of dedicated volunteers in a modest workshop on Crumlin Road has grown into a thriving organization that has touched the lives of thousands.

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Since our founding, we have remained steadfast in our mission to create a better world through tools, volunteers, and education. Through countless programs and repairs, initiatives, and partnerships, we have provided vital resources, support, and opportunities to those in need. From feeding the hungry, to empowering the marginalized, to championing social justice, our work has made a tangible difference in the lives of our neighbours.

As we reflect on this incredible milestone, we are filled with immense pride and gratitude. The past four decades have been a testament to the power of community, the strength of compassion, and the transformative impact that can be achieved when people come together for the greater good. Therefore, we decided to celebrate this great journey with all the people who have been, and want to be involved with some events.

We began on July 3rd with our first event by the hand of Education for Sustainable Development Program. The SolidariTEA provided to our customers a Victorian traditional tea party with explanations about tea history and different ways to drink sustainable and organic tea from our Education Officer Sue Bamford. That immersion in the evolution of tea around the world came with loads of traditional scones and biscuits among other delicious food prepared by our volunteers.

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That was not the only event from our Education for Sustainable Programme because on July 4th Sue continued with the learnings, but about clothes! Everyone who actually knows our educational officer understands how passionate she is about fashion and about giving a second opportunity to all we have in closets. But everybody knows how hard it is not to get bored of the same clothes. Therefore, we planned with Sue an Indigo Dye workshop for everybody who wanted to give a second chance to old clothes. We learnt how to make different patterns such as stars and flowers and that kind of oceanic blue matched perfectly with the summer clothes that guests brought.

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How many people have stepped on the moon? From which country was the Statue of Liberty a present to the USA? If you cannot answer these questions That night, July 4th in St. Joseph’s Church Belfast, we lived with many locals and Tools current and former team in a very difficult Pub Quiz presented by our lovely friends; Peter and Diarmuid. Food, drink, re-encounters with old friends and a big questionnaire of impossible to answer questions enlivened our evening and reconnected us with our history. We would like to give special thanks to those who gave us a personalized gift.

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After this lovely evening, on Friday July 5th the whole Tools family got together for the Open Day in our workshop on Sunnyside Street. We enjoyed the delicious soup made by Stephen with more than 60 guests, chatted, and prepared the first challenges for the later ongoing game. 

Our current volunteers and John prepared some special surprises for everyone who came. Together played the game “snakes and ladders” created by our workshop manager, John Wood, and our current international volunteers. With it we made a time travel through TFS’s 40 year history with all its ups and downs. We all got into different groups and got extremely creative when it came to various tasks related to the organization such as making your own TV advertisement or designing a pamphlet in Swahili. The day was full with enjoyable and fun moments! Thank you all for making it unforgettable and to John who created such a unique and amusing game for us!

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After that crazy Friday night, we started our Saturday with an exciting Treasure Hunt on July 6th through the heart of Belfast. In teams, we gathered at City Hall and made our way through various questions that brought us through the streets of Belfast. Despite the rain, we could learn, laugh, and discover. What a start to the day!

After finishing this series of events, we all met for one more time on Saturday night. Here the prizes from the treasure hunt were awarded, some had some drinks, we chatted, and we just fully enjoyed the last evening together. It’s sad to say good bye to all of you. Thank you for coming and making this celebration so noteworthy and unique. Thank you to St. Malachy’s old Boy’s association for hosting us!  

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None of this would have been possible without the unwavering commitment of our volunteers, the steadfast support of our donors and partners, and the resilience of the individuals and families we serve. You have all played a vital role in our story, and we are honoured to celebrate this 40th anniversary with you.