Our Sustainable Consumer group held a Christmas Crafternoon last December to address the problem of Christmas waste. As we all know, this can be a very expensive and wasteful time of the year. People feel pressured to spend a lot of money and often buy things ‘for the sake of it’, all of which leads to a lot of waste, not just food, but much more, including a lot of unnecessary packaging.
We researched Christmas crafts that were completely plastic free and used sustainable materials, most of which were second hand or recycled. We even sourced organic, plastic free glue and used plant-based tape. We wanted to show people that you can create lovely decorations without too much expense while being kind to the planet at the same time.
Our creations included gnomes on sticks, origami stars, paper trees, pompoms, fabric tinsel and much more. The Japanese art of Furoshiki, using colourful fabric pieces for wrapping gifts, was a key part of the action and there were lots more hints and tips for a more sustainable Christmas. We also provided homemade cookies, mince pies and drinks, all without plastic packaging.
We had no idea how many people would turn up, especially as we were competing with a lot of other things going on in town, so we were delighted to have lots of people coming through the doors throughout the afternoon. It got quite crowded at times!
We certainly enjoyed the day and our visitors seemed to as well. Quite a few people asked if we would do it again in 2026 - the answer is yes! We will need to either find a larger venue or put it on for a longer period. So, watch this space!
If you want to get involved with our Christmas Craft event in 2026, or any other of our projects such as Plastic Free Leek, fashion events, Repair Cafés, etc., please get in touch.
Sally