Tadcrafters make items, mainly from recycled materials, which are donated to worthy causes. We support a range of charities and other organisations whilst helping people to learn new craft skills and develop a social network of people in and around Tadcaster.
We help people to appreciate the importance and benefit of craft activities to help them relax. In an era where most things can be purchased cheaply due to manufacturing it is often forgotten that the process of making an item by hand can be rewarding in itself. Knitting, sewing, woodworking and other crafts are effective mindfulness techniques and have proved to be very beneficial in tackling stress and depression. In addition to this, receiving a hand-made gift is so much more personal, and this appreciation is also very rewarding.
There are many worthy organisations who benefit from the support of Tadcrafters, examples include:
- We make patient property bags for St. Leonard’s Hospice. The bags are used to return patient’s belongings to their bereaved relatives.
- We make insect hotels and hedgehog lodges for local wildlife
- We make washable feminine Hygiene kits that are taken to girls in developing countries so that they can attend school when they are menstruating and therefore have access to better education.
- We make twiddlemuffs which are given to organisations such as care homes and hospitals. These can be very calming for people with dementia.
- We make heart shaped cushions, and drain bags, which provide practical support for patients who have had breast surgery
- We facilitate workshops with groups within the community such as local primary schools, Rainbows, Brownies, Beavers and the general public to make lanterns and snufflemats
- We have gardening projects to improve the local environment
- We make snufflemats to give animals greater mental stimulation whilst at the dogs Trust or RSPCA
- We support appeals by charities such as the British Legion and Marie Curie by making flowers to raise their profile for them to attract greater donations
- We make blankets for Age UK at York Hospital so that patients who are admitted in only their night clothes have something to keep them warm on the journey home.
- We make bunting to support local events such as the 2 miles we made for the Tour de Yorkshire in 2017 and the 2 km we made for the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2019 when they came to Tadcaster.
- We help people to press apples to make apple juice so they don’t go to waste
- We support local events such as the Lantern Parade in February
- We collect donated fabric, yarn and haberdashery that can be re-used including some excess fabric from interior design companies
- We collect “gently worn” bras to send to countries where underwear is a sign of status, reducing the likelihood of abuse.
Drop-in sessions are every second Tuesday of the month, from 10am until 4pm and TadGrafters wood-working sessions are every second Wednesday of the month 4-6pm. You don’t need to bring anything with you, or in fact you don’t even need to knit or sew, but we do ask for a voluntary donation of £1 to help with the things that we we need to pay for. If you can bring a sewing machine, knitting needles to the drop-in session or even your own crafting project to share with others, that’s great. If you can’t make the sessions you can still join in by donating items you have made for our projects which we can distribute for you.
We rely on donations of fabric, wool, and lots of other bits and pieces that people kindly give us to be able to do this. If you have a look at the latest newsletter or “join in” page you will see the current wish list, and a calendar of events if you would like to put them in your diary.
In August 2016 we became a Community Interest Company so that with the aid of a Selby District Council Community Engagement Forum grant we purchased equipment and materials to be able to help more people learn craft skills and support a wider range of charities and worthy causes. In early 2018 we received a grant from NYCC Stronger Communities Fund to help pay for venue hire and storage costs. We have also received funding from the Big Lottery and County Councillor Locality Budgets to help us with materials costs. We continue to work on many different projects and help many people both locally and around the world. Our “How we Help” page will give you a flavour of what we get up to.
We are part of the Tadcaster Events Management Project Team (TEMPT) that helps to organise events and activities to promote business in Tadcaster. For a calendar of events visit the TEMPT website: www.tadcasterevents.com
We plan to support new groups in the surrounding area and activities. Get in touch if this is something that we might be able to help you with or you would like us to talk to your group about our activities and projects.
We hope that you want to join in! http://www.tadcrafters.org.uk