Scrappies crafts & recycling

Scrappies (Crafts and Recycling) By Alan Stewart (Master Composter)
 

I’ve found that a great and inexpensive way to entertain my 4 year old daughter Isla is to take her to Scrappies (crafts & recycling) in Church Stretton. We like to make it a whole day out by catching the train to Church Stretton (itself an exciting activity for a 4 year old!) and also letting off some steam with a play in the park before heading home.   The play park in Church Stretton is a particularly good one.

Scrappies is a charity; their team of volunteers collects surplus products from factories, shops and businesses.  These are then sorted, bagged and stocked in the scrapstore located in Church Stretton town centre.  It is a fantastic place to pick up extremely cheap materials for any child’s craft activity: fabric off-cuts, buttons, scraps of paper and card, plastic bottles, pots, lids, books, ribbons, foam and foil.  They also sell new craft resources including paints, glue, crayons, pens, clay, tissue paper, feathers etc…

Isla loves rummaging around for things and imagining what she can make with them.  She has particularly enjoyed, for instance, having her own ‘diary’ to scribble in (actually a 2012 diary - but she is none the wiser!!), which we picked up for a few pence.  To make your craft activities even easier, and in case you are needing inspiration, they also have a selection of make-your-own kits such as peg dolls and puppets which have been put together by Scrappies volunteers from the materials available in the store.

I am told that a new ‘Crafty Kids’ craft club is starting on Saturday mornings 10—12am from January as a drop in session, which we will definitely be heading to!  Scrappies craft workers can also be booked for activity tents, events and birthday parties to run creative activities for children and families.

Scrappies are not open every day of the week so do check their website first: www.scrappies.org or contact via: info@scrappies.org or by phone (during opening hours) on 01694 722 511.

Wiggly Wigglers

We’re really fortunate to have 'green' businesses based in our area such as Wiggly Wigglers who are based out of the lovely Lower Blakemere Farm in rural Herefordshire. They started out as a small farm enterprise and used to operate from the farmhouse itself but such is their success and the increased interest in green gardening products that, as Wiggly Wigglers expanded (thanks to you all), they’ve outgrown the house and now they work in several of the farm’s outbuildings, which have been converted for life in the twenty-first century. 

They’ve also transformed the old walled garden into a wildlife haven where we are able to showcase many of the products that we sell, so that visitors can see their philosophy in action.  The company takes its name from the worm breeding side of the business and the fact that you can buy specialist worms and wormeries for home composting your food waste.  However they can mail order a much wider range of products that just wormeries these days - including everything you need for a green garden from British wildflower seeds, to bird food, water butts, compost bins, and much more besides.

To see their product range and support this local business visit www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

Christmas tree recycling 2014

Did you know? In the UK we get through almost 8 million real Christmas trees every year!

We estimate therefore that there must be about 60,000 dead Christmas trees left over in the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin this January 2014! Please don't let them go to waste. 

You can compost them at home but its quite a challenge for most of us with small back gardens, so the lazy option to recycle real Christmas trees simply by putting them out for collection along with your garden waste or taking them to the local tip.  All real Christmas trees collected will get sent for commercial composting on local farms where they are shredded and rotted down to be turned into a valuable soil improver for local farmers.

Don't forget - remove any tinsel and other decorations first!