Event organisers and designer makers in and around Alston are looking forward to November and the return of the annual Winter Craft Fair to Alston Town Hall. About 25 designer makers and local producers will be involved and, as ever, Alston Moor Winter Craft Fair will be a great opportunity to buy local, handmade gifts with a difference.
“We’re back with several new makers,” says Claire Fenwick, one of the organisers, “ensuring we have the wide variety of high-quality creativity that our visitors have come to expect. We weren’t able to go ahead in 2020 and it was a real shame for everyone involved. We’re all looking forward to welcoming visitors this year and sharing our new ideas and stock in plenty of time for Christmas.”
There will be jewellery, framed prints, woollen goods, baskets, Christmas decorations and lots more. Everything is set up so that shoppers can browse at their leisure, fill a basket at different stalls, some of them unmanned, and then make just one payment. “The way it works should be good from a COVID safe perspective as well as being a nice, relaxed way to shop,” says Claire.
Sophie Howgego is based at Brewhouse Studios in Alston, trading as Sofluphie with her woollen gifts and decorations, and she has been a regular at Alston for several years. For the Winter Craft Market 2021, she will be setting up a joint stall with her husband, Rob, a woodworker and clockmaker.
“We’ve welcomed lots of craft enthusiasts to Brewhouse Studios in the past year or so,” says Sophie. “Many have asked about the return of the Craft Fair so we know that there’s an enthusiasm for the event and good demand for locally-created gifts.”
“There’ll be something for everyone, whatever their budget or taste,” says Sophie. “The aim is to celebrate local crafts in a great atmosphere – including seasonal refreshments from local caterers and live acoustic music – and to encourage people to buy from producers who live and work in the area. All in all, the Winter Craft Fair should be a perfect opportunity to tackle Christmas shopping without the stress of city crowds.”
Alston Moor Winter Craft Fair is open over three days in November: 10am to 4pm on Friday 19th, 10am to 5pm on Saturday 20th and 11am to 4pm on Sunday 21st November. Entry is free and there is plenty of parking in and around Alston. Further information about the event and about the Alston Moor Crafts group that organises the Fair is online at http://alstonmoorcrafts.org/
