Could Nimble Fingers lend you a hand?
A group set up in 2016 in a bid to boost social interaction among crafters now supports a range of other small groups.
Nimble Fingers’ founder Kate O’May, of Kate’s Krafts, told the Courier that the group’s craft fairs are going from strength to strength and, as such, members are looking for more small, local charities to help.
The crafting group meets every Wednesday night at Campbeltown Hospital and from time to time welcomes patients with a passion for crafting.
One of those patients was Mary Blackburn McMillan, who visited the hospital to receive treatment for type-one diabetes. It was Mary’s idea to start holding craft fairs in a bid to raise money for the hospital’s diabetic unit.
After successfully raising £1,000, it was decided that it should be Mary who would present a cheque to diabetic nurse Judy Semple but Mary sadly passed away on March 22, 2018, before the presentation could take place.
Kate said: ‘It was Mary who got the ball rolling with the craft fairs and unfortunately we had to hold one in her memory which raised a further £1,000 for the diabetic unit.
‘It was to be for a year that we held craft fairs, to see how they went, but the crafters love them and they have gone from strength to strength, so much so that all are already fully booked for the coming year.
‘We always keep it local and support small groups and charities – we are only small ourselves so we don’t raise a huge amount at each fair. We are looking for wee groups that have maybe lost funding, for example, or don’t receive large grants, which we may be able to help.’
As well as craft fairs, Nimble Fingers holds a range of other fundraising events throughout the year, including raffles and an odd one out competition around the town centre shops, which will take place this year in the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August.
Kate said anyone interested in receiving some financial support should look out for a Nimble Fingers Facebook page which is expected go live soon, and people can get in touch by messaging the page.
People are also welcome to approach Nimble Fingers’ members out and about or at craft fairs.
All suitable applicants will be entered into a draw and the beneficiary for each fair will be drawn from a hat before each event.
Kate said: ‘We are more than happy for the group we’re fundraising for to come along to the fairs, to help us out or promote their own work.’
She added: ‘We are completely self-funding but people are very good to us. We get a lot of support from local people and businesses, particularly staff at the Co-op, all at Campbeltown Town Hall, which is a fabulous location, and Kenny Craig at the Hardware Store, who gives us the use of his window to display the theme of each fair beforehand.’
The group’s upcoming events include a guess the number of eggs in the basket competition at the Co-op on April 9; an ‘if you go down to the woods today’ craft fair on May 16; a down on the farm craft fair on August 15; the selling of raffle tickets and Christmas gifts at the Co-op on November 26; a ’tis the season to be jolly craft fair on November 11.