It’s been another month of rain, but we haven’t let that interfere in our activities, and we have plenty of exciting things to look forward to throughout spring including news about our next step towards establishing an arts centre in Tadcaster so read on to find out more.

 News

We all know that our volunteers and supporters do amazing things but sometimes it needs facts and figures to highlight exactly what a difference Tadcrafters make.  Eight years on from the day of our very first meeting our impact statement was published.  This outlines how many items we have made (over 3400), what that all might be worth in money (over £24,000) and how much waste we might have saved from landfill (over 1000kg).  It also lists the types of people and organisations we have helped, supporting some of the most vulnerable in our local area. You’ll find it on our website on the “What we do” area.

In March we donated

  • 4 huge hand crocheted blankets and 4 large patchwork quilts to Martin House Children’s Hospice
  • 28 bags, donated to St Gemma’s Hospice
  • 8 hats, 3 scarves, 4 baby hats, 3 blankets and 9 draught excluders to Carers’ Resource
  • 20 personal property bags to St Leonard’s Hospice
  • Hedgehog sign installed on Dorchester Road
  • Bat box and bug hotel to St. Mary’s Church
  • 58 sets hearts & drain bags to St. James’s hospital breast unit
  • 48 drawstring bags to Spirit of Christmas
  • 8 bat boxes, 11 kits to make bat boxes, a bug hotel and a hedgehog lodge to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
  • 2 twiddlemuffs to local residents

and took part in or hosted:

  • The TAD’ah! Community artwork unveiling
  • Su on BBC Radio York talking to Georgey Spanswick
  • Talk and activity to group in Burton Salmon
  • Gardening at the Quaker Burial Ground and Tadcaster Primary Academy
  • Yorkits workshop at York Minster
  • Impact report published
  • Tadcaster Drop-in session
  • TadGrafters workshop
  • Sherburn workshop

On Saturday 16th March a few of us were present when Chris Tipping revealed his TAD’ah! artwork depicting his impression of Tadcaster, which is really impressive and fills the whole of the back wall of the Barn. Our volunteers are well represented, and we spent quite some time spotting the people we know. It was fun watching people taking selfies next to their image. Some Tadcrafters appear twice, and one is on 4 times. Also on display were large images with just the people on and we were encouraged to add our signature. Alongside this was another showing just the buildings, and it was fascinating to see the varied architecture. For years to come it is going to be a unique snapshot of the town.

This is one of the many arts projects that have been happening in our area recently with the hope of building engagement and demand for a dedicated arts centre facility somewhere in Tadcaster. For Tadcrafters be able to continue into the future we need to have our own space. We would like to offer more activities too, but we cannot continue to carry and move materials and equipment around indefinitely. Being housed as part of an Arts, Community and Well-being Centre Tadcrafters should be able to continue into the future. If you think this is a good idea then please make sure you are able to come down to the Arts Centre Open Day at the Barn on Sunday 21st April 10-4 and/or fill in this short, anonymous survey  https://forms.office.com/r/ZSuh1zcYEt

As part of the Arts Centre Open Day Tadcrafters will be running a Craftivism workshop where we are inviting everyone to join us to sit down and have a chat whilst hand sewing heart-shaped broaches illustrating the things we love most, how they might be being affected by climate change, and what we need to help us make better use of the world’s resources. Please come along to make your own badge, and support as many people in the community as possible to do the same. All materials and equipment will be supplied.

Please have a look at the calendar at the end of the newsletter for a summary of our future events.    

 TadCrafters Tadcaster Group Update

The 9th annual Yorkits workshop in York Minster went very smoothly, at least in part due to Lynne’s fantastic organisational skills, and the hard work of the Yorkits team.  Over 100 kits were made on the day which is an amazing achievement, especially considering they will enable girls in developing countries attend around an extra 20,000 days of school. Thank you to all the Tadcrafters who joined the event for the day and shared their expertise with the 150 or so volunteers, some of whom were attending for the first time.

The little jewellery bags we trialled for St Leonard’s Hospice last month went down very well and we were able to finish off a lot more in the drop-in session.

The next Tadcrafters drop-in session will be Tuesday 9th April 10am-3pm

We all know that Lynne is absolutely invaluable, particularly at the drop-in sessions but I suspect most people don’t realise how much she does. I have started a new job which is likely to keep me away from the drop-in sessions and I will be unable to support Lynne then, particularly in the setting up and tidying away. If you are able and willing to help out a little more, it would be greatly appreciated and help to ensure that Tadcrafters will continue to exist into the future.

The following tasks need to be done each month so if they can be shared, ideally between a few people, it would help ease the burden on Lynne.

9.10-10am: Unload the car, move the furniture, put up the tables, move the chairs, wipe the tables down, fill the hot water dispensers, set the tea/coffee things, bring the wool etc down from the loft, put the activities, kits and equipment ready.

2.30-3pm: Collect in the mugs, wash up, put the tea/coffee things away, put the wool etc back in the loft, pack equipment etc away, re-load the car, put the tables and chairs away, move the furniture back, sweep up.

If you can be around at either of those times and can do one or more of those tasks, please do so.

There are many other things that both Lynne and I do between sessions which we could maybe do with help for, including the sorting and distribution of finished items, preparing the kits, planning new projects, running the tombola and de-stash stalls, running the Etsy shop, sorting donated items, giving talks etc so if you are interested in helping with any of them please speak to either of us.

Please see the list of all current projects towards the end of the newsletter.

 Sherburn Crafters Update

We meet on the fourth Thursday each month at the Old Girls School and more or less follow the same projects as the Tadcaster drop-in.   You are welcome to attend both if you wish.  The dates are in the calendar below. Our next meeting is on Thursday, 25th April, 11am to 1pm at the Old Girls School. All most welcome- Karen

If you would like to join the group just turn up at the session and email tadcrafters@outlook.com to ask to be added to the Sherburn mailing list.

 TadGrafters Wood-working Group Update

The bat boxes and kits to make bat boxes that the TadGrafters have been making over the last few months went off to The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust last month, as well as a hedgehog lodge and bug hotel.  They are going to a wide variety of projects in communities across Yorkshire.  TadGrafters Keith made a striking warning sign for a hedgehog highway on Dorchester Road (branded with our Tadcrafters logo) which will hopefully help hedgehogs have a safer crossing.  The team are also providing St Mary Church with a bat box and a large empty bug hotel for their parishioners to fill. 

The Grafters are next due to meet on Wednesday 10th April 1.15-3.15pm at The Barn.  If you would like to help them make more boxes and lodges etc, or just come and see what the woodworkers do, just pop along to a session.  You don’t need to bring anything with you.

 Gardening Group update

The Tadcrafters gardeners got together in March for the first time this year during some breaks in the rain. The first meeting was to clear the remains of the tree that had fallen in the Quaker Burial Ground (QBG) as a result of high winds in January. The plan is to use those branches and twigs to build a dead hedge in the lower level to create additional wildlife habitats.

A group also went to the Tadcaster Primary Academy (TPA) garden where the ground was found to still be too wet for gardening so instead, efforts were concentrated on the willow den, weaving in the new growth to enhance the structure. We spent the morning willow weaving, creating a living shelter come den for the youngsters to play in. Unfortunately the weeds are rampant in the borders, but the ground needs to be drier before we tackle them. So we will be back there soon, look out for future dates.

We will shortly be putting some more dates in the diary for both QBG and TPA projects so keep a lookout. If you are not already on the gardening group mailing list and would like to get involved contact Sue T on tadcraftersst@outlook.com

 Beekeeping Group Update

Hopefully we’ll be starting regular checks during April, when the weather warms up (regularly over 16 degrees C) to around the end of September. This tends to be a Saturday late morning but we decide each week, but it depends on the weather and the availability of beekeepers team.

Sara will be in touch with the group soon to plan for the season, including creating a new colony to replace the one we lost last year.

If you would like to join us, you don’t need any experience. We can give you some “on the job” training. Then, if you like it, we can suggest additional training.

If you would like more information contact us through the Tadcrafters email. tadcrafters@outlook.com

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.  Some items originally intended for one cause may be re-directed to another or find their way onto our tombola stall to help raise funds. We supply materials 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

  • Jewellery bags for St. Leonard’s Hospice
  • Personal effects bags for hospice patients and bereaved families at St. Leonard’s and St. Gemma’s Hospices
  • Syringe driver bags for hospitals and hospices
  • Drawstring book bags for the Banana box toy project
  • Liners, shields and drawstring bags for YorKits feminine hygiene kits
  • Heart-shaped cushions and drain bags for breast surgery patients (in sessions)
  • Draught excluders (in sessions)
  • Tombola items- miscellaneous kits

Knitting/crochet– yarn and needles available at the drop-off sessions

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 donation or supplies for people who are unable to make the sessions. You could maybe team up with someone who cannot drive or has other commitments on session days.
  • Join our woodwork, gardening, or bee-keeping groups.
  • If you are interested in doing something positive to help tackle climate change, however small, follow the Sustainable Tadcaster Facebook page. Please get in touch if we can support you to kick-start a new initiative such as running a repair café, library of things, recycling or other circular economy scheme etc.

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 short of storage space so please try to stick as close as possible to our wish list, or speak to us first. Smaller donations can be made at The Barn, ideally at one of the Tuesday drop-in sessions. NB We cannot use worn, dirty or smoky clothes, fabric or yarn.  Fabric that is only fit for rags can be put directly into the collecting point outside the Salvation Army and save us a job. They, and Oxfam, have their own facilities to shred and recycle fabrics.  We welcome:
  • New or clean, nearly new polyester/cotton or other lightweight woven fabric
  • New or nearly new knitting yarn. Any colour or weight but double knitting would be great.
  • Items, especially hand-crafted ones, suitable for our tombola stalls
  • New or clean, nearly new winceyette (brushed cotton) sheets/fabric for Yorkits
  • Spectacles for Specsort who take them to people in  developing countries
  • “Gently worn” bras and new pants for “Smalls for All” http://smallsforall.org/
  • Vintage fabric, equipment and haberdashery *

*Any items not suitable or surplus to our own use we give or sell to people who really appreciate them, whilst also raising funds for our projects.

  • 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
  • Please share our social media posts and encourage others to join in.
  • 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/      If you live in Tadcaster, contact us direct for a discount. NB these items are not stored at The Barn or available for viewing at sessions.
  • Support our campaign to find a place of our own. If you know of a local business that could provide us with sponsorship or free space that we could use to store goods and run workshops from please put them in touch with us, and fill in this survey https://forms.office.com/r/ZSuh1zcYEt

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, (and Tadcrafters Sales page) on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In 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

Calendar

DateEventTimeLocation
Tues 9th AprilDrop-in workshop session10am-3pmThe Barn
Weds 10th AprTadGrafters1.15-3.15pmThe Barn
Sun 21st AprArts Centre Open Day10am-4pmThe Barn
Thurs 25th AprSherburn craft session11-1pmSherburn Old Girls School
Sat 27th AprYorkits workshop session <10am-12pmHartrigg Oaks, York
Tues 4th MayDrop-in workshop session10am-3pmThe Barn
Weds 15th MayTadGrafters1.15-3.15pmThe Barn
Thurs 23rd MaySherburn craft session11-1pmSherburn Old Girls School
Sat 25th MayYorkits workshop session <10am-12pmHartrigg Oaks, York
Tues 11th JunDrop-in workshop session10am-3pmThe Barn
Weds 12th JunTadGrafters1.15-3.15pmThe Barn
Thurs 27th JunSherburn craft session11-1pmSherburn Old Girls School
Sat 29th JunYorkits workshop session <10am-12pmHartrigg Oaks, York
Tues 9th JulDrop-in workshop session10am-3pmThe Barn
Weds 10th JulTadGrafters1.15-3.15pmThe Barn
Thurs 18th JulTalk to WI7.30South Milford
Thurs 25th JulSherburn craft session11-1pmSherburn Old Girls School
Sat 27th JulYorkits workshop session <10am-12pmHartrigg Oaks, York
Fri 16th Aug*Drop-in workshop session10am-3pmThe Barn
Fri 16th Aug*TadGrafters1.15-3.15pmThe Barn
Thurs 22nd AugSherburn craft session11-1pmSherburn Old Girls School
Sat 31st AugYorkits workshop session <10am-12pmHartrigg Oaks, York
Tues 10th SeptDrop-in workshop session10am-3pmThe Barn
Weds 11th SepTadGrafters1.15-3.15pmThe Barn
Thurs 26th SepSherburn craft session11-1pmSherburn Old Girls School
Sat 28th SeptYorkits workshop session <10am-12pmHartrigg Oaks, York