You might've noticed on our socials that eatsleepdoodle's own Jess and Katie went on a little trip back in August...

Well, they were busy working on an eatsleepdoodle first and we’re so excited to finally tell you all about it - introducing our first ever charity product collaboration with the amazing Go Beyond Children's Charity!

 

A bit about Go Beyond!

Go Beyond is a children's charity dedicated to putting magic into the lives of vulnerable children in the UK. Across their residential respite centres, their incredible staff and volunteers provide adventures full of fun, imagination and laughter to make a lasting difference to the lives of young people by giving them a break from the challenges they face in their everyday lives. With Go Beyond, these children get an opportunity to pack up their troubles and be kids as they explore the great outdoors, go on adventures, make new friends and much, much more.

Inspired by the fantastic adventures had at Go Beyond, we are working in collaboration with the charity to create a very special ‘pack up your troubles’ backpack! Designed by some amazing Go Beyonders, this fun colour-in backpack will feature amazing doodles created by a group of young people staying at the centre and each revolve around all their favourite things about their visit and time with the charity.

This brings us back to what Jess and Katie got up to - they headed down to Go Beyond's Coastal Centre to host a workshop and collect the doodles for the backpack design! Here's what they had to say about their very own adventure to Go Beyond...

Jess and Katie on the road...

With our workshop starting at 10am, we had a rather early start to drive down from eatsleepdoodle HQ in Salisbury to the Go Beyond Coastal Centre! Our bags packed with pens and coffee in hand, we headed off on our road trip.

After driving against the four seasons in weather on the way (and a couple more coffee stops!) the sun welcomed us as we arrived at the wonderful Go Beyond centre nestled on a picturesque coastline.

We were welcomed with open arms by Vanessa (our lovely contact at Go Beyond) and some of the wonderful staff, then we got to work setting up materials in the Craft Barn ready for the workshop. As the children came into barn, we could already see how much fun they had been having at the centre and the beautiful bonds they had created with the staff, volunteers and each other.

We introduced ourselves and told the group all about the new backpack project and how they’d be helping us design it, we then spent some time discussing all the wonderful things about Go Beyond. They raised their hands and told us about what they had enjoyed so far during their time at the centre. They soon filled the chalkboard activities, memories and what they love most about Go Beyond and then they were ready to get doodling!

eatsleepdoodle markers in hand, they set to work doodling and drawing as they brought their Go Beyond adventures to life! Using their favourite activities and memories from the centre, they created lots of different doodles for the backpack design. With some even using shells and stones they had collected from a beach trip for inspiration and others working together with their newfound friends - the Craft Barn was alight with creativity! From trampolines and basketball to geese and the Go Beyond chef's famous cakes, they all drew lots of incredible illustrations about their adventures. Take a look at some of their amazing doodling in action!

After the workshop, the group headed off for some free time whilst we had a tour around the wonderful centre. With a games room, sports barn, plenty of outdoor space (including a vegetable garden!) and so much more, it was clear how much joy and care the centre, and its staff and volunteers, give to the children it supports. We both found it an amazing experience to hear more about the centre and see first-hand what the young people get up to and how they are supported by everyone at Go Beyond. 

The backpack!

Once back at eatsleepdoodle HQ, Jess got to work digitising the drawings ready to make the design. After several hours of careful tracing, there were over 100 individual doodles to choose from! Slowly but surely, the doodles were carefully selected and laid out, and the 'pack up your troubles' backpack was born!

This fun new doodle-inspired backpack will be available on our website and a percentage from each sale will go directly to the charity. We’re so thrilled to be supporting such a worthwhile organisation and are loving every minute of this project!

We’re now eagerly awaiting the first sample of this exciting new backpack and can’t wait to show you! Stay tuned to be the first to hear about when you can get your hands on this exciting eatsleepdoodle first…

Here's a sneak peek at one of the fabulous doodles (coloured in, of course!) you can find on the bag!

 

We had the best time visiting Go Beyond in person, and meeting some of children supported by this amazing charity! To learn more about Go Beyond, what they do and how you can support their amazing work, visit their website and follow them on Instagram.

Don’t forget you can get in touch with us on social media and share your adventures and colouring creations by using #eatsleepdoodle – we always love to see what you’re up to! You can also tag us on Instagram (@eatsleepdoodle_), Facebook (@eatsleepdoodlehq) and TikTok (@eatsleepdoodle_).