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A social enterprise supporting local homeless people is helping to kit out staff and volunteers for two of the University of ��«Ӱҵ’s most popular festivals.

, an award-winning Orchard Square-based social enterprise that gives supported employment opportunities to homeless and vulnerable people, has printed eye-catching T-shirts for both and .

Festival of the Mind, a free biennial event showcasing University of ��«Ӱҵ research, returns on 19 September. The Festival will see the city’s cultural, creative and digital industries collaborate with some of the city’s brightest academic minds to bring their research to life in exciting, entertaining and innovative ways.  Printed by Us has printed the branded T-Shirts for staff and student volunteers who are on hand to make sure the Festival’s series of free city centre projects, exhibitions and performances run smoothly.

Off the Shelf Festival of Words, celebrating its 33rd year, will see local, national and international literary talent entertaining audiences on stages across the city in October. This year, Printed by Us’ work will help the Festival’s dedicated team of staff and volunteers to stand out in style.

Originally established by the , Printed by Us gives opportunities to homeless and vulnerable people to learn new skills, build confidence and move towards fulfilling lives. The social enterprise, run by people who have overcome challenging circumstances, offers exclusive prints, garments and mugs via their online store and at their shop, and a bespoke custom printing service, public screen printing workshops and more from its Orchard Square base. One hundred per cent of Printed By Us’ profits are reinvested into the social enterprise, so every order has a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of those involved.

Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Director of City, Culture and Public Engagement at the University of ��«Ӱҵ, said: “Off the Shelf Festival of Words and Festival of the Mind bring tens of thousands of people to ��«Ӱҵ city centre each year and we always try to support our partners in the local community as much as possible.

“That’s why Printed by Us was the perfect choice for the printing of our festival T-Shirts. It’s a wonderful social enterprise doing incredible work in the community and we’re delighted to be able to give something back.

“As you’ll see from the pictures of our fabulous T-Shirts, the fantastic team at Printed by Us has done a brilliant job and we can’t wait to show them off to festival goers.”

Evie from Printed by Us, said: “Printing the t-shirts for the Universities' two flagship festivals has been an incredible opportunity for us, and all members of staff involved have really enjoyed seeing this design and their hard work come to fruition.

"It's really important for us to engage in our community, and the University of ��«Ӱҵ is a massive part of that! We have had volunteers from UOS who have been incredible and hope to continue building our relationship in the future.

“As you'll see from the videos of us printing these t-shirts, we use the traditional method of hand screen printing, which doubles up as a wellbeing activity for us. This method of printing means that the end result is of high quality, as well as being a really fun process! We are also proud to be an eco-friendly and ethical business, only using fairwear approved garments made from organic cotton, printed with water based inks, and ensuring everyone in our supply chain is paid a living wage.”

Shay Murray, Centre Manager at Orchard Square, said: “Orchard Square is very proud to support The Archer Project in their ongoing work throughout our local community, and to host the Printed By Us store in the Square as part of that commitment.

“Printed By Us is a popular destination for our visitors, renowned for high quality and ethical garments - as well as supporting positive change.

“The T shirts developed for the volunteers at this year’s Off the Shelf and Festival of the Mind look fantastic! Congratulations to all involved - and wishing the University of ��«Ӱҵ all the best with both festivals.”

Festival of the Mind, which has attracted over 150,000 visitors to ��«Ӱҵ city centre since 2012, returns from 19 - 29 September. The festival is open to everyone and visitors can enjoy all the activities, talks, performances and exhibitions free of charge. Visit the website for the full programme: https://bit.ly/3SWRYcq

Off the Shelf Festival of Words returns to the city from 7 October - 3 November. This year’s vibrant and diverse festival will host over 80 live and online events across the city, including household names such as Richard Ayoade, Sara Pascoe, David Olusoga, Julian Clary and bestselling Japanese writer Asako Yuzuki. The full festival programme can be found on the .