I am raising money for this much needed charity, FareShare, who aim to fight hunger and tackle food waste in the UK. While doing this I also wish to highlight the issue of racism that reared it’s ugly head during the Euro2020 tournament.
I am offering the opportunity to win this large, 48cm diameter, slipware charger entitled ‘This is England‘.
Image: Hannah McAndrew with ‘This is England‘ Charger. Image credit: Shannon Tofts.
Why did I make this pot?
I made this piece in response to the racial abuse received by the three England players who missed their penalty kicks during the Euro 2020 final.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka did their best under huge pressure, only to be subjected to a barrage of abuse due to the colour of their skin.
I’m not a football fan, I’m happy to admit it, and I now live in Scotland, but I was taken by the conduct of the English team in this Euro 2020 tournament. They have taken a very clear and united stand against racism both on and off the field. From what I can see, football teams have huge influence with their supporters, so using their privileged position to send out this powerful message of tolerance and inclusion to fans of all ages can only be a good thing.
About the charger
The illustration of lions on slipware pottery is nothing new. These three lions, combine a nod to the England team crest, with influences derived from the immense and intricate chargers by Thomas Toft in the late 17th Century. I made it using a mixture of slip trailing and paper resist techniques and it has a rich honey glaze which gives the slip colours a deep warmth and vibrancy.
The rim has been divided into thirteen sections, each filled with slip trailed cross hatched lines. The thirteen sections represent the total number of other countries that members of the Euro 2020 England squad were qualified to play for, because of their connections with those countries. Instead they chose to represent England. I purposely chose black as the colour for these lions.
Who am I?
I have been a potter for over twenty years and have built up an international reputation for making highly decorated pots within this genre. I was recently accepted as a Fellow of the Craft Potters Association.
Slipware is my passion and my obsession. I love to decorate pots and spend many hours covering surfaces in intricate patterns and imagery. This piece is unique. I make large chargers regularly; I love the wide surface and the potential that has for holding decoration. This is the only one of this design, though I could have sold it many times over when I exhibited it at a large pottery festival and when it was first shown on the internet. I wanted to hold it back to try to do something bigger with it.
The title of the piece, ‘This is England‘ is borrowed from the poignant dialogue performance by Stormzy, Dave and Ian Wright during the TV coverage of Euro 2020.
In particular the lines ‘the past can’t hurt us. The future can inspire us. This is England, modern England’.
Who will benefit from your support?
The charity that I want to support by offering this pot in the prize draw is FareShare. FareShare is a charity network aimed at relieving food poverty and reducing food waste in the UK. It was established in 1994. FareShare obtains good quality, surplus food from the food industry that would otherwise have gone to waste, and sends it to almost 11,000 charity and community groups across the United Kingdom.
England International footballer Marcus Rashford has been an ambassador of FareShare since March 2020.
Since then, he has:
-Helped raise enough money to enable FareShare to distribute the equivalent of over 21 million meals for children and families who might not otherwise eat
-Raised awareness of child hunger in the UK, driving the issue to the top of the news agenda
-Launched and spearheaded the Child Food Poverty Taskforce, a group of more than 15 organisations that FareShare is a founding member of, which have come together to support the National Food Strategy and share real-time statistics and stories of those affected by child hunger in the UK
-Successfully influenced government policy:
-With his #MakeTheUTurn campaign, which saw the voucher scheme – a replacement for free school meals through the lockdown – extended over the summer, ensuring 1.3 million vulnerable children could continue to access food
-In November, after campaigning by the Child Food Poverty Taskforce, Government announced a Winter Package to support the UK’s most vulnerable children through the winter until Easter 2021.
How do I enter the prize draw?
The prize draw will go live at 19:40 BST on Thursday September 2nd 2021 on the Crowdfunder website. This is the time that the England football team will take the knee in their international match with Hungary. The prize draw will then run for three weeks.
By buying at least one entry at £10 you will be entered into the prize draw. If you buy multiple entries you stand a higher chance of winning. To enter you must select one of the entry reward options on this page. You can also enter the prize draw without donating by post. See terms and conditions for details. By donating and entering the prize draw you agree to the terms and conditions.
I would like to use this pot to help this charity to continue the fight to eliminate food poverty across the UK, whilst drawing attention to the ever prominent issue of racism.
Thank you for helping me to support this great and essential work.
#WeStandWithOurThreeLions