The kids have now broken up so all normal routines are out of the window for many of us. I hope you are all enjoying the change but are still able to take some time for yourself. There have been changes for all our groups during August so please check dates, times and venues before setting out so you don’t miss anything.
One of our volunteers is going out to Malawi at the end of August. She’s hoping to be able to kit out a school with stationery for the next term, so if you have any working pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, rulers and scissors please bring them to the next drop-in session, (or drop-off at The Barn before then, clearly labelled for us)
Please scroll down to the calendar for new events coming up in the autumn too.
TadCrafters Group Update
In July we were lucky enough to be joined by artist Tony Wade who guided us to be able to produce some wonderful silk paintings for a wider project across the community, celebrating the beautiful buildings we have in Tadcaster. Very little other crafting got done that day but we had a wonderful time and, with the aid of some of the Sherburn group, we still were able to send out:
- 18 bags to St. Leonard’s Hospice
- 24 patchwork quilts and 4 large crocheted blankets to Martin House CH
- 12 scarves to York Hospital
We were also delighted to be visited at the session by Sandra H who helped us so much in the early days of Tadcrafters.
For those of you who contributed to the banners for the COP26 display in Glasgow last year, you might like to see this short video. Let me know if you spot any of ours.
The next Tadcaster drop-in session will be on Tuesday 9th August 10am- 3pm. Please note that we will be a different venue just for this month while there are kids’ holiday clubs at The Barn so we will be at the Manor Farm Centre (next to Tadcaster Leisure Centre, off Station Road) Parking is available on site.
We are delighted to be able to re-introduce twiddlemuffs to the list of projects this month. We have had a request from the OT’s at York & Scarborough Teaching Hospital Trust that they contain no metal objects; this is because they sometimes need to go through scanners with patients who receive them. If they could have a little tape to add a patient’s name and a Tadcrafters label too that would be fabulous. Materials will be available at the drop-in session. Please email if you need instructions or follow this link:
| Twiddlemuffs are highly decorated sleeves that are given to people living with dementia. They allow the user to feel and pull on a wide variety of textures and components which can have a calming effect, particularly in agitated situations. |
For a full list of all our current projects and where to find instructions please see the list towards the end of this newsletter. Please stick to this list as we are struggling to store and find homes for different items. NB We do not have anywhere to send baby clothes at the moment.
We have had another month of lovely donations in terms of things people have made and also surplus fabric and wool etc. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, you are very much appreciated.
Gardening Group update
The Tadcrafters’ gardeners had a break from getting their hands dirty in July to have an afternoon out visiting the Newton Kyme Hall East Wing garden which was opened to pre-booked groups as part of the NGS open gardens scheme. As well as spending a relaxed time in a lovely and varied garden we also learned a lot from the very informative owners about how the garden was created (not to mention enjoying some delicious cakes!).
Our next planned gardening session is at the Tadcaster Primary Academy ‘Pond and Beyond’ wildlife area on Friday 5th August from 10am. If you would like to get involved in this or any future gardening events and are not already on the gardening group email, please contact Sue on tadcraftersst@outlook.com
Beekeeping Group Update
Our two bee hives are, thankfully, now both established for the year. Our “old” queen is still laying well and the bees are storing up plenty of honey. Our “new” queen has been laying well and producing lots of new bees, again to store up for the winter. During August we need to continue our regular checks to make sure our bees are all well and making lots of honey. We also have the excitement next week of a visit from the local DEFRA bee inspector.
At the end of August we will be doing another honey harvest and start to prepare our hives for the winter.
If anyone would like to see our bees at work you are welcome to join one of our regular inspections. They are usually a Saturday morning but sometimes Friday. We have lots of suits in all sizes now, but you can view through the window without getting suited up if you prefer.
We would also welcome you if you would like to become a regular on our Bee check rota. Contact on tadcrafters@outlook.com
Come along and meet the group at the open day on 17th September at The Barn you will be able to see live bees working in a demonstration hive to find out more- Sara and Lynne
TadGrafters Wood-working Group Update
The Grafters have been busy repairing the ramp at the front of the Barn which will hopefully be fit for use again soon. They are also working on making some display shelves for us to use on our tombola stall, ideally with some jars of honey on them! In August they will be preparing lengths of wood for use on hedgehog lodges and bug hotels etc to be used in thaautumn sessions.
The Grafters are next due to meet on Weds 10th August 1-3pm. As the Barn will be full of kids from the holiday club, the Grafters will be meeting up at one the team’s gardens. Unfortunately we are not able to go to Little Land as originally planned. If you are new to the group and need the address please get in touch.
| The ramp at the front of The Barn being repaired by some of the TadGrafters |
Sherburn Crafters Update
There will be no crafting session in Sherburn in August so put your feet up and enjoy the sunshine!
The sessions are usually the third Friday of the month and next session will be on Friday 16th September 11am-1pm. Workshops are held at the Sherburn Old Girls School where there is also a very nice little café where you can have a spot of lunch afterwards.
Other News
We are working in collaboration with SDC, Arcade and The Barn to develop a creative programme of activity for people in Tadcaster, as well as connect Tadcaster artists together to one another and local commissioning opportunities. One aim will be to test and explore appetite for an arts
centre in town and create a case for need and potential funding.. We hope to be able to bring you more news about that soon.
In October, our group leaders and directors will be attending an emergency first aid training course in Tadcaster run by Tadcaster Swimming Pool trainers. If anyone is interested in joining us please get in touch.
List of Current TadCrafters projects
We welcome anyone new who would like to join us but ask you to please stick to our current projects as other items can be hard to find homes for. We need to focus on a few projects at a time so we can support everyone, maintain our standards and supply items that are wanted by worthy causes, in appropriate quantities. We are able to supply materials locally for free at our drop-in sessions and instructions are provided by email or by links if provided below; if you need help, please ask!
Sewing– supplied in kit form at the drop-off sessions
- Personal effects bags for hospice patients and bereaved families
- Worry Monsters for Children’s Services and local schools
- Drawstring book bags for the Banana box toy project
- YorKits liners, shields and drawstring bags for feminine hygiene kits
- Heart-shaped cushions and drain bags for breast surgery patients
- Syringe driver bags
Knitting/crochet– yarn available at the drop-off sessions
- Twiddlemuffs for people living with dementia. (NB no metal parts, and ideally have tape for a name to be added and a Tadcrafters label.) https://www.qvh.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Twiddlemuffs-knitting-instructions.pdf
- Blankets (larger sizes between 3 x 4 to 5 x 8 feet) for Martin House Children’s Hospice
- Worry worms (Easy crochet) to help children, and others, to overcome anxiety https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAuuj321Ugg (NB stitched, not googly eyes)
- Small hearts (knitted) to help children, and others, to overcome anxiety
- No baby clothes for the time being please
Other projects
- If you can’t knit or sew there are non-sewing tasks such as threading drawstrings and decorating twiddlemuffs that are really useful to the team, please ask.
- Picking-up/dropping-off supplies for people who are unable to make the sessions. Team up with someone who cannot drive or has other commitments on session days.
- Join our wood-work, gardening, or bee-keeping groups.
Wish list and other ways to help
A huge thank you to the many people who have donated many, many things to us and have kept us going. If you have some surplus that you would like donate to us please be aware that we are really short of storage space so please try to stick as close as possible to our wish list, or speak to us first. Donations can be made at The Barn, ideally at one of the Tuesday drop-in sessions.
- New or clean, nearly new polyester/cotton or other lightweight woven fabric
- New or nearly new knitting yarn. Any colour or weight
- Items, especially hand-crafted ones, suitable for our tombola stalls
- New or clean, nearly new winceyette (brushed cotton) sheets/fabric
- “Gently worn” bras and new pants for “Smalls for All” http://smallsforall.org/
- Vintage fabric, equipment and haberdashery (see below)
- Any items not suitable or surplus to our own use we sell to people who really appreciate them, whilst also raising funds for our projects.
- Please share our social media posts and encourage others to join in.
- If you would like to make a financial donation/direct debit to help us do what we do you can do so on the Local Giving website which can be found at: https://localgiving.org/tadcrafters
- Sign up to Easyfundraising to raise money for us at no extra cost to you when you shop online, https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/tadcrafterscic/
- Visit our Etsy store to purchase top-quality fabric remnants that are surplus to our requirements https://www.etsy.com/shop/tadcrafters/
Keep in touch
If you need to get in touch with us, and need a response, please use email. This is to protect your personal details and because messages and conversations on social media become lost. Someone will get back to you but it might not be straight away due to other commitments. The Tadcrafters Chat Group or Sherburn Tadcrafters Chat Group is a great way to keep in touch with other Tadcrafters and be inspired. You can also follow the Tadcrafters Page on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@Tadcrafters).
To be put on the emailing list/s (wherever you live) please request it by emailing tadcrafters@outlook.com and add us to your list of contacts so we don’t end up in your junk. There are usually only one or two emails a month.
If you would like to be kept up to date about any of the specific group activities please email us and ask to be put on the relevant group mailing list and your email will be forwarded to the group leader.
See you soon, Su.
Directors Tadcrafters CIC: Su Morgan, Lynne Howard Sandra Levitt and Sue Tennant
Tadcrafters Calendar
| Date | Event | Time | Location |
| Fri 5th Aug | Gardening Group | 10am onwards | Tad Primary Academy |
| Tues 9th Aug | Drop-in workshop | 10am- 3pm | The Manor Farm Centre (NOT The Barn) |
| Weds 10th Aug | TadGrafters | 1-3pm | Please email for the location if you wish to attend |
| Fri 19th Aug | Sherburn Crafters | Cancelled | |
| Tues 13th Sept | Drop-in workshop | 10am- 3pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Weds 14th Sept | TadGrafters | 1-3pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Fri 16th Sept | Sherburn Crafters | 11-1pm | Sherburn Old Girls School |
| Sat 17th Sept | The Barn Open Day | 12-5pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Sat 24th Sept | Duck Race | TBC | Tadcaster Riverbank |
| Tues 11th Oct | Drop-in workshop | 10am- 3pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Weds 12th Oct | TadGrafters | 1-3pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Sat 15th Oct | Hebden Bridge Rag Market | 10am-4pm | Hebden Bridge |
| Fri 21th Oct | Sherburn Crafters | 11-1pm | Sherburn Old Girls School |
| Tues 8th Nov | Drop-in workshop | 10am- 3pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Weds 9th Nov | TadGrafters | 1-3pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Fri 18th Nov | Sherburn Crafters | 11-1pm | Sherburn Old Girls School |
| Sun 27th Nov | Tombola Stall | 10am-3pm | Tadcaster Christmas Market |
| Tues 13th Dec | Drop-in workshop | 10am- 3pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Weds 14th Dec | TadGrafters | 1-3pm | The Barn, Tadcaster |
| Fri 16th Dec | Sherburn Crafters | 11-1pm | Sherburn Old Girls School |
Tadcrafters 