Prickly Thistle Rebel Fund

The Rebel Fund is donated by Prickly Thistle owner Clare Campbell to enable students at the university to ‘disrupt thinking’ in the creative industries.

In 2019, the recipients of this funding were HND Visual Communication students at Inverness College UHI who were tasked with creating new design concepts, which showcased the region and the student experience in the Highlands and Islands. Clare also worked with students last year, setting them the challenge of designing plans for her new Black House Mill, on the Black Isle, which she now plans to build. The students’ designs have already been granted planning permission and are going through the building warrant stage.

Prickly Thistle have recently launched the first UK filtration tested woven wool face masks. The durability of the 100% natural fibre cloth for the Mask of Integrity is based on key learnings from the woven sail craftsmanship of the Viking age. Clare was inspired after reading The Golden Thread written by Kassia St Clair and connected with Professor Donna Heddle, Director of the University of the Highlands and Islands Institute for Northern Studies to further explore this.

In addition to establishing the Rebel Fund, Clare is a regular donor to the university, one of a growing number of local businesses kindly contributing to scholarships and the Student Development Fund, which provide financial support to students who need help to continue their studies or to take advantage of development opportunities.