Friday afternoon crafters Margaret Bremner, Betty Payne, Fay Good and Lorraine Kildare, work on pieces for Operation Cover Up.
The craft room at Cambridge Resthaven’s Village Centre has been enjoyed by residents and creative folk since the centre opened in October 2015, and patrons hope to see more locals and community groups make the most of the space.
Residents gather in the room every Friday from 2pm to 4pm for an afternoon of fun, social enjoyment and creative construction. Supplies are on hand to bring all sorts of inspirations to life, with sewing machines, fabric, and equipment for knitting, embroidery, painting, drawing, card making, colouring, and more. The group hopes to see any Cambridge locals, not just Resthaven residents, come and join the fun.
Though the craft group meets every Friday, the room is open and available throughout the week for others to use as well. Already two groups, mosaic and embroidery, have signed up recently to use the facility for their regular gatherings, and Village Manager Joanne Sutherland said more local groups are welcome to get in touch to find out more.
Peter Buck adds finishing touches to a painting by WWII veteran Haydn Finbow.
Alison Hucke is the main organiser of the craft afternoons, since moving into the Resthaven Village about nine months ago. “It really took off when Alison came into the village because she had a lot of craft stuff that she brought into it,” said Joanne Sutherland. “Now, basically anything they want to do they can do it in here, there’s all sorts.”
“If I haven’t got something in my hands and I’m not making something, then there’s something wrong,” joked Alison Hucke. “It’s fun, and we’re being productive too,” she said of the weekly group. “It’s just good getting together, the social aspect of it, and being creative.”
“And you’re achieving something at the same time,” added Fay Good, one of the group members. “It’s fun, it’s friendship… And we’re open to new ideas too, there are so many different crafts developing all the time.
“At some point we would like to put a display somewhere, in the library or something, to show the sort of things that we’re doing.”
Alison said “the more the merrier” when it comes to more people joining the group, which is currently made up of about eight people on average. She welcomes locals to come along to the next meeting, which happens every Friday from 2pm. “And if a member of the public wants to come other than the Friday then just phone me first and I can come down and show them where things are and what they can use,” added Alison, who can be contacted on 0211 383 341.
Taking part in the craft afternoons is free of charge, though a small koha (donation) is appreciated when crafters take their creations home, to cover the cost of supplies.
