I'd like to say the day dawned bright and cheery for our 6th craft fair but sadly it was grey and cold out. Yards and yards of bunting brightened up our corner of Penge but this spring craft fair certainly did not take place on a springy day. Despite the typical British weather, there were lots of smiles as SE20 Craft Fair got underway. The chill and the drizzle may have put some people off turning out for craft and cake but a steady stream of people meandered in and out of the Kenilworth Hall throughout the day and everybody remained in good spirits (although the stallholders donned more and more winter layers as the day went on - it was COLD in the hall!)
The theme of the fair this time around was 'Love Local' and everybody had clearly put a lot of effort into making sure Penge and the surrounding area was very well represented. 'I Heart Penge' was boldly emblazoned in icing across cakes and cookies at the Lewisham Craft People's Guild table, and 'Penge proud' was the message on the striking jewellery pendants that Julie of The Spotlesspinata had made specifically for the day. There were also I Heart Penge photo coasters and cross stitch hoops on offer, which proved popular and had sold out completely by the end of the fair.
Emma Antonova and her son Theo were selling eye-catching black and white photos of scenes of modern day Penge mounted onto cards as well as brightly coloured photographs of Penge from eras past - these were very well received and I was gutted to have missed out on grabbing a card showing the old cinema (now The Moon & Stars) in 1964, with retro cars on the high street in front of it, as someone snapped it up first! Theo is the talented young photographer behind the cards, and he was selling them to raise money for a future trip to Tanzania to help get water to a primary school .
We had a lot of cake and sweet treats on offer and by the end of the day, everyone was very pleasantly full of gingerbread people and date and walnut cake (made by our resident baker: Nadia of The Leander Cake Co.) or tray bakes and brownies made by The Lewisham Craft People's Guild or Easter cupcakes and lollipops made by Vicki Hudson of Goodie Baskets - or in my case, full of ALL of these things. It's possible that quite a lot of people went home totally hopped up on sugar after their visit to the fair! But we had an alternative that didn't contain any calories at all - wonderful felt food made by Anna and Stephen of Never Felt Better.
The theme of the fair this time around was 'Love Local' and everybody had clearly put a lot of effort into making sure Penge and the surrounding area was very well represented. 'I Heart Penge' was boldly emblazoned in icing across cakes and cookies at the Lewisham Craft People's Guild table, and 'Penge proud' was the message on the striking jewellery pendants that Julie of The Spotlesspinata had made specifically for the day. There were also I Heart Penge photo coasters and cross stitch hoops on offer, which proved popular and had sold out completely by the end of the fair.
Emma Antonova and her son Theo were selling eye-catching black and white photos of scenes of modern day Penge mounted onto cards as well as brightly coloured photographs of Penge from eras past - these were very well received and I was gutted to have missed out on grabbing a card showing the old cinema (now The Moon & Stars) in 1964, with retro cars on the high street in front of it, as someone snapped it up first! Theo is the talented young photographer behind the cards, and he was selling them to raise money for a future trip to Tanzania to help get water to a primary school .
We had a lot of cake and sweet treats on offer and by the end of the day, everyone was very pleasantly full of gingerbread people and date and walnut cake (made by our resident baker: Nadia of The Leander Cake Co.) or tray bakes and brownies made by The Lewisham Craft People's Guild or Easter cupcakes and lollipops made by Vicki Hudson of Goodie Baskets - or in my case, full of ALL of these things. It's possible that quite a lot of people went home totally hopped up on sugar after their visit to the fair! But we had an alternative that didn't contain any calories at all - wonderful felt food made by Anna and Stephen of Never Felt Better.
Their stall was so bright and unique looking, with all manner of stitched foodstuffs, that everybody went flocking to them. I came away with a felt Fab lolly and two felt cups of tea, but I would have bought the whole stall if I could have! There were felt biscuits, a whole tray of felt doughnuts and for the health conscious: felt watermelon slices and felt bananas.
Across from the fuzzy goodies were very real pots of jam, jelly and marmalade, homemade by Jay of Jamalade Dreams, who is based in Penge. They also proved very popular and I saw several people leaving the fair with a carrier bag full of preserves in a range of interesting flavours, including pink grapefruit and vodka marmalade.
Through the doors next to the jam stall was the 'snug', which is the little room between the halls and the kitchen. So named because it's slightly warmer than everywhere else in the building, and this is where The Kindu Trust had set up camp, selling jewellery handmade by mother's in Ethiopia to everyone who'd come in to find themselves a warming cup of tea or coffee. The jewellery is made up of beads fashioned out of magazines - wrapped tight and then glazed. The finished effect is really intricate and unique looking, and again, I saw lots of people walking away with a Kindu Trust necklace round their neck. I bought a green and pink bracelet and am in love with it. The funds raised from the sales of the jewellery will go back to those young mothers in Ethiopia, to help them set up small businesses within their community and to help fund a sponsorship program for children there. SE20 Craft Fair has started giving a stall away for free to local charities and I hope The Kindu Trust will come back and occupy that stall at the next fair too - it's such a great cause and the jewellery is absolutely lovely.
Across from the fuzzy goodies were very real pots of jam, jelly and marmalade, homemade by Jay of Jamalade Dreams, who is based in Penge. They also proved very popular and I saw several people leaving the fair with a carrier bag full of preserves in a range of interesting flavours, including pink grapefruit and vodka marmalade.
Through the doors next to the jam stall was the 'snug', which is the little room between the halls and the kitchen. So named because it's slightly warmer than everywhere else in the building, and this is where The Kindu Trust had set up camp, selling jewellery handmade by mother's in Ethiopia to everyone who'd come in to find themselves a warming cup of tea or coffee. The jewellery is made up of beads fashioned out of magazines - wrapped tight and then glazed. The finished effect is really intricate and unique looking, and again, I saw lots of people walking away with a Kindu Trust necklace round their neck. I bought a green and pink bracelet and am in love with it. The funds raised from the sales of the jewellery will go back to those young mothers in Ethiopia, to help them set up small businesses within their community and to help fund a sponsorship program for children there. SE20 Craft Fair has started giving a stall away for free to local charities and I hope The Kindu Trust will come back and occupy that stall at the next fair too - it's such a great cause and the jewellery is absolutely lovely.
Back in the main hall, the stall holders were very grateful for the tea and coffee to keep them warm, and those lucky enough to be situated near a radiator took full advantage. Despite the chill, everyone had a good time and several people told me they were particularly struck by the strong sense of community spirit, and positive atmosphere.
While the adults browsed the stalls and ate hot cross buns (provided by Nadia), there was plenty for the kids to do too - over at the PCC activity table, Easter flowers were being made out of coloured paper and pipe cleaners, and Sarah was busy painting faces both young and older! Frozen seemed to be the popular face painting theme, and I saw more than one snowflake and glitter adorned Elsa or Anna running around - but also an Iron Man and a Batman too! All the funds raised by Sarah's face painting went towards our collection for Mind UK, as did the donations taken for tea and coffee and together we raised over £70, which is our highest ever charity collection total yet!
After a busy period in the middle of the day, the footfall began to thin after lunch and although it didn't pick up again, there was still a stream of people drifting through right up until the close of the fair at 4.30pm. By the time we were ready to close up, there were still a few groups of people sticking around for a chat, which added to the lovely sense of community of the whole day and I was really pleased to see that people weren't in a hurry to rush away. It was a fantastic day and seemed to make a lot of people happy. It was great to see how the fair has grown and progressed since it's quieter beginnings in 2012 and I was especially pleased to hear a lot of the stallholders asking after the next fair, hoping to return.
After the bunting was (reluctantly) taken down and put away, we locked the doors and walked away from the 6th ever SE20 Craft Fair with a lot of cake for later, and a lot of happy memories. The verdict? Chilly but a definite success! See you on October 31st for the next fair. The theme will be: Trick or Treat!
While the adults browsed the stalls and ate hot cross buns (provided by Nadia), there was plenty for the kids to do too - over at the PCC activity table, Easter flowers were being made out of coloured paper and pipe cleaners, and Sarah was busy painting faces both young and older! Frozen seemed to be the popular face painting theme, and I saw more than one snowflake and glitter adorned Elsa or Anna running around - but also an Iron Man and a Batman too! All the funds raised by Sarah's face painting went towards our collection for Mind UK, as did the donations taken for tea and coffee and together we raised over £70, which is our highest ever charity collection total yet!
After a busy period in the middle of the day, the footfall began to thin after lunch and although it didn't pick up again, there was still a stream of people drifting through right up until the close of the fair at 4.30pm. By the time we were ready to close up, there were still a few groups of people sticking around for a chat, which added to the lovely sense of community of the whole day and I was really pleased to see that people weren't in a hurry to rush away. It was a fantastic day and seemed to make a lot of people happy. It was great to see how the fair has grown and progressed since it's quieter beginnings in 2012 and I was especially pleased to hear a lot of the stallholders asking after the next fair, hoping to return.
After the bunting was (reluctantly) taken down and put away, we locked the doors and walked away from the 6th ever SE20 Craft Fair with a lot of cake for later, and a lot of happy memories. The verdict? Chilly but a definite success! See you on October 31st for the next fair. The theme will be: Trick or Treat!
The stallholders at SE20 Craft Fair on Saturday 4th April 2015 were:-
Sarah Jarrett face painting
Anne Young knitted products for babies and children
Put Your Tea On Me photo coasters
Pic on the Wall Ltd photography by Stan Alland
Sharleen Parsell crafts and gifts
The Crafty Fox hand sewn gifts
The Spotlesspinata jewellery
Goodie Baskets
Never Felt Better
Jamalade Dreams jams and preserves
PCC activity table
The Leander Cake Co.
The Lewisham Craft People's Guild
Emma and Theo Antonova cards
Mya and Joe jewellery
Susan Oliver quilling
Yolanta Gawlik art prints and cards
Like Sewiously sewn items
The Kindu Trust jewellery
Beck's Creative plants, gifts and cards
All photographs on this page taken by and Copyright Tim Saunders 2015.
Sarah Jarrett face painting
Anne Young knitted products for babies and children
Put Your Tea On Me photo coasters
Pic on the Wall Ltd photography by Stan Alland
Sharleen Parsell crafts and gifts
The Crafty Fox hand sewn gifts
The Spotlesspinata jewellery
Goodie Baskets
Never Felt Better
Jamalade Dreams jams and preserves
PCC activity table
The Leander Cake Co.
The Lewisham Craft People's Guild
Emma and Theo Antonova cards
Mya and Joe jewellery
Susan Oliver quilling
Yolanta Gawlik art prints and cards
Like Sewiously sewn items
The Kindu Trust jewellery
Beck's Creative plants, gifts and cards
All photographs on this page taken by and Copyright Tim Saunders 2015.