Support That Makes a Difference
Both AG Miniatures and AG Design Lab rely on the support, sponsorship and generosity of companies and individuals.
The workshops have always been run on a not-for-profit basis and will continue to remain free and open to all.
Every contribution helps us provide pupils with the materials, equipment and opportunities they need to explore, create and discover what they can do.
Because these workshops create opportunities that might not otherwise exist.
Both AG Miniatures and AG Design Lab are volunteer-led and run on a not-for-profit basis. There are no participation fees and no expectation that pupils arrive with their own equipment or materials. The aim has always been simple: if a young person is willing to give something a go, the opportunity should be there for them.
As the workshops have grown, so have the materials, equipment and resources needed to keep them running. Paints get used, brushes wear out, filament disappears, technology needs updating and new ideas often need new tools.
For a long time, much of that came from my own hobby collection and my own pocket. But there comes a point where one volunteer simply cannot fund a growing programme alone.
That is where support makes a genuine difference.
A donated bottle of paint can help a pupil finish their first miniature. A spool of filament can turn dozens of digital ideas into objects pupils can actually hold. A piece of equipment can introduce an entire class to technology they may never otherwise have the opportunity to use.
But support does not always have to mean a donation of equipment or materials.
Sometimes something as simple as advice, technical guidance, shared experience or helping us make the right decision can be just as valuable.
A conversation with someone who understands a piece of technology, a recommendation that saves us from buying the wrong equipment, or guidance that helps improve a workshop can all make a real difference.
Every form of support helps us learn, improve and create better opportunities for the pupils.
Support does more than provide materials.
It gives pupils the time, tools and opportunity to discover what they can do.
And it helps us keep both workshops exactly as they were intended to be:
free and open to all.
Why Support us
What Your Support Makes Possible
Support turns ideas into opportunities.
It can put a paintbrush into the hands of a pupil who has never painted before, provide the miniature they proudly take home to show their family, or give a young person access to 3D design and printing technology they may never otherwise have had the chance to experience.
It allows us to provide enough materials for pupils to experiment without worrying about wasting something or getting it wrong. It gives them room to practise, make mistakes, try another approach and, most importantly, the time to learn at their own pace.
Equipment and technology can have an impact far beyond a single workshop. A printer, laptop or piece of specialist equipment can support class after class, year after year, becoming part of the opportunities available to future pupils as well as those using it today.
Consumables matter just as much. Paints, brushes, miniatures, resin and filament are the everyday things that keep the workshops running and allow ideas to become something real.
And sometimes the most valuable support isn't something that arrives in a box.
Advice, knowledge, technical guidance and shared experience can help us make better decisions, solve problems and develop workshops that continue to improve.
Every contribution is different, but the result is the same:
more opportunities for young people to explore, create, learn and discover what they can do.
Support doesn't simply help us run a workshop.
It helps make those moments possible.
Be part of our Journey
What began as one small school workshop has grown naturally because people have been willing to give an idea a chance.
Teachers made time for it. Pupils kept coming back. Companies offered materials, equipment, advice and encouragement. Each little bit of support helped the workshops take another step forward.
And the journey is still growing.
My priority will always be to continue supporting the pupils at Alconbury CofE Primary School and to keep both workshops free and open to all. But through AG Design Lab, I also hope to take what we have learned and make it useful to other schools — particularly those that are interested in 3D design and printing but simply don't know where to begin.
That means creating free presentations, practical guidance, lesson resources and eventually a framework that other schools can adapt and use for themselves.
There is still a great deal to learn, and I certainly don't pretend to have all the answers.
But perhaps that is part of the point.
AG Design Lab itself grew because we were willing to try something, learn from it, improve it and try again.
If you or your organisation share that belief in giving young people the time, tools and opportunity to discover what they can do, I would love to hear from you.
Support can take many forms — equipment, materials, expertise, advice, introductions, sponsorship or simply a conversation about an idea.
You never quite know what saying “yes” to one small idea might make possible.
Support That Helped Us Grow
We’re incredibly grateful to the companies and organisations that have supported the workshops with materials, equipment, advice and encouragement over the years.
Their support has helped us keep the workshops free and open to pupils, while allowing new ideas, new technology and new opportunities to grow.
Featured articles
A few moments from the journey that have been captured and shared along the way. These articles help tell the story of how the workshops have grown, the people who have supported them, and the opportunities that have developed from simply being willing to give an idea a go
Engineering.com - 2025 - “Elegoo launches ‘Empowers’ initiative to support STEM access”
Read the Engineering.com article
ELEGOO - 2025 - “Transforming Education Through Technology: ELEGOO’s 3D Printing Initiative at Alconbury CofE Primary School”
Read the original Alconbury feature
ELEGOO - 2025 - “Elegoo Expands CSR Programs for Social Inclusion, Marking 10 Years of Empowering Creators”
Read the ELEGOO Empowers article