Polly Stubley
Polly Stubley was born in 1977 in North Yorkshire. During her twenties she became interested in sustainability. This shaped the business that she runs now; T-cycle, which produces screen printed second-hand t-shirts. Polly was a student at Silai for Skills for several years.
"I think just having that facility there and having people who are happy to come in and teach. Because it's all women, you can have a natter and it's very casual but at the same time you're learning loads.
Before I went to Silai I didn't really interact with women with children at all. So sitting down at lunch with people and hearing about their kids and then sitting down with people who have no home, they're squatters and hearing about how they're living and how their doing, just people from different backgrounds. It's nice to be able to mingle with them and become friends with them. I found out a lot more about Bristol whilst I was there. I was living in Bristol a year and hardly knew anything about it and when I came to Silai, just meeting lots of different people made me open my eyes and think God there's loads going on. And everyone's really enthusiastic as well, you can do anything and everyone is pushing each other, helping each other along and inspiring each other, and you don't get that anywhere really. It's quite special. Also everybody having a skill that they can offer. When I was doing pattern cutting there was a girl who made hats and raincoats, and there was a girl who was making recycled clothes and then there was me who was printing as well. And we were all thinking, we should all work together, we should have a business together or offer our skills to one another, that's what's good about Silai, I think."
