Our supporter: Seidich Handmade Shoe Uppers

A combination of private finance, grant funds, donations and income we generate is needed to sustain our work and keep the momentum going. Every new donation is incredibly welcome and much appreciated. 

The Seidich family, based in Germany, are regular supporters of our work. We're pleased to feature them in the first of our supporter stories. Harmut Siedich talks with us about why they support ACT's work. 

Tell us about yourself

Our family has been handcrafting boot and shoe uppers since 1928. From leather to vegan materials to upcycled materials, we work for shoemaker workshops in six countries creating uppers – the part of the shoe that is above the sole.

We are only a small workshop, with a team of 8 people. But we are one of the last workshops that still work purely by hand. My family has been building uppers for almost 100 years, but our team is quite young.

We build uppers for people who are wealthy and want shoes that only they wear. And we work for severely injured people or for people with congenital disabilities. 

Photo by Dieter Hübel. From left: Tanja, Hartmut and Dustin Seidich, Jan Droste

Why do you support ACT?

We have lost far too many of these beautiful places in the world and we have great respect for those who try to preserve them. We are happy if we can make a small contribution. 

It is important to us that we help with our work. If not directly to someone in need, then indirectly through donations to organisations like ACT who are trying to make a difference.

The two recent donations came from colleagues who took over old machines from our workshop that we no longer use. It is hard to find a fair price for rare but old machines. Therefore I asked for a donation in return.

What do you love about Argyll? 

Unfortunately, none of us have been to Argyll. But the pictures and videos we've seen are very impressive.

Read more about Uppermaking. 

Thank you to our community

To those of you who make regular donations. And to those of you who make one-off donations. Every little bit makes a difference to what we do. 

You can donate:

• to our work generally or for a specific project
• as a wedding or anniversary gift to a special person
• in memory of a loved one
• in response to a happy holiday spent in Argyll 
• as a local resident keen to support our work
• as a business, local or global, to support our work.

 

Marsh fritillary butterfly, by Angharad Ward/ACT

As well as giving us a financial boost, your donations are a way for us to measure and demonstrate support for our work. From climate change awareness to peatland and rainforest restoration, having evidence that our community is behind us is our best mandate. Every contribution helps us when we make our case to funders, agencies and businesses.  

• Donate to a specific project
• Leave a legacy 
• Make a general donation

If you would like to talk to us about other ways to support our work through donations, contact Julie Young, [email protected]