Collaborations: The non-profit that saved my family.

The new Cunning Artificer/Appeer fidget keyring.

It's been nearly two years since Cunning Artificer was born, and there's been a few collaborations in that time, with more in the pipeline even as I type. But this one is probably our most personal.

Those who know us will be aware that one of our daughters is autistic and has been badly let down by both her primary school and the Local Authority. She is 15 now, and should be entering her final year of secondary school. Instead, she has been without a school place since Year 6, and thanks to the Pandemic hasn't had any full-time education since 2019. Anyone who has been in this situation (and believe me, we're far from alone!) will know just how frustrating it is to watch your child becoming more isolated, insular and wholly unwell, whilst those charged with the responsibility of educating her simply build walls and procrastinate in the name of saving money. But then a wonderful SENCO (at the secondary school she was registered to but never set foot in) referred us to Appeer.

Ours is the one at the front of the scooter board train. Living her best life with her buddies.

Appeer is a Surrey-based non-profit organisation that was created to benefit autistic girls and women, and those around them. They run social groups, online activities and alternative provision (AP). If you're not familiar with AP, it literally provides an alternative to traditional schooling for those who need it. It's not the same as organised home-schooling groups, although there is some crossover. In Appeer's case, they provide low-demand, gently paced socialisation with an engaging curriculum hidden within the activities.

When we joined in late 2023, my daughter was a shell of her former self. Deeply traumatised by her experiences in primary school and in the grip of autistic burnout. Human interaction was simply beyond her capabilities, and despite the warm welcome and the absence of demand, she struggled to settle in. However, the dedication and patience of the staff soon allowed her to override the constant fight/flight reflexes and relax into the group. Since then, she's made friends, has amazing relationships with the facilitators and has grown in confidence exponentially. It's not been easy, by any stretch, but watching her unmask and be comfortable in her own skin has been nothing short of miraculous and it is all down to the compassionate support we have received from Appeer.

Those of you who know Baz will be aware of his perfectionism. This means that we often have stock that's brilliant but not quite good enough to sell. So, the obvious solution was to start donating our "nearly perfect" stock to our Appeer group. They now have a huge and eclectic collection of fidgets, slightly wonky figurines and random side-quest prototypes, some of which has been shared with the Social Programme groups as well!

Lindsay and Lindsey at Appeer's Dashing Donkeys day out.

Due to our girl's situation, I was struggling to maintain any work/life balance, and my employer was unable (or unwilling) to offer the flexibility I needed to care for her. Just before Christmas 2025, I received an invitation to a meeting in January that would almost certainly result in my employment termination. Thankfully, two days earlier I had received an employment offer from Appeer to be their Designated Safeguaring Lead, and I was able to hand my notice in. I've since been promoted to Safeguarding and Compliance manager and I'm able to comfortably manage my work around our daughter's needs, which is another thing to be grateful for.

When the Head of Programmes and Communications approached me about Appeer merch, we jumped straight in! Baz took an existing fidget keyring that we had used in the past, and altered the design to include the Appeer logo. We used a turquoise matte filament (Ziro Cyan) that was as close as we could find to the Appeer teal, and combined it with Ziro Matte White to create a striking colourway that aligns perfectly with their branding. Appeer have ordered 100 of these, and we have only charged for the materials due to their non-profit status and the fact they've rescued our daughter from the proverbial depths many times over. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with them and what else we can create together!

The finished fidget keyrings looking fancy in gift bags.

Lindsay

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