Environmental - Shelby’J Robinson (Sew the World a Better Place)

Shelby is an inspiring young volunteer who channels her creativity and passion for sustainability into community service with a global impact. After years of fundraising and food collection for various causes in Goole, she discovered a love for sewing. By reusing old fabrics, Shelby creates new items to sell, using the proceeds to buy materials to make reusable period pads. These pads have been distributed to schools across the world, including in Nigeria and Ukraine, directly supporting girls’ health and dignity.

Shelby has taken her skills even further by leading sewing workshops for both young people and adults through local youth clubs and the Two Rivers Community Pantry. She provides all the equipment and guidance to teach others how to mend clothes, make warm blankets, and reuse materials — empowering people to save money and reduce waste. Her workshops also produce items for charities, such as tote bags for chemo care and dresses made from repurposed bedding.

Having volunteered in her community for over four years, Shelby has raised more than £5,000 and donated countless handmade items. Her workshops also provide items for various charities. 100 tote bags for chemo care bags made from old curtains. 165 dresses and pairs of shorts she has made out of bedding sets and sent to a school in Nigeria. Her impact is felt both locally and internationally, as she helps people gain life skills while promoting environmental responsibility. Shelby’s dedication, energy, and generosity are remarkable.

At just the start of her journey — having recently completed college and now training as a youth worker — Shelby is already changing lives. Her mission to “sew the world a better place” is more than a slogan; it’s a movement she’s building, one stitch at a time.

With thanks to event partners HEY Smile Foundation, Hull CVS, City Health Care Partnership (CHCP), East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council