New organiser talks about taking on the mantle of Watten's popular craft fairs
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After a social media post declared that a popular event at Watten Village Hall was in need of a new organiser, Glyn Salisbury stepped in to take the reins of the local crafting fair.
Glyn is well-known as a writer and local crafter himself and previously ran the Rumbin' Tum café at Lochshell just outside Wick.
"The previous organiser of the craft and produce show at Watten hall wanted to call it quits," he said.
"She put a post up onto Facebook to see if anybody else wanted to take it on. Nobody came forward. When I saw the post and found out nobody was going to carry on with it, I thought it was a great shame. I couldn’t see an event like that die off."
Glyn agreed to take it on and had a trial run for what he calls 'Watten Hall – Craft Fair +' on December 16. "The plus sign in the title means I can add in a small number of other tables if required," he added.
"The event went so well on the 16th that I have half the tables already booked for 2024, along with dates for the next 11 months."
The dates for the 2024 events are as follows: February 24; March 30; April 27; May 25; June 22; July 27; August 31; September 21; October 26; November 30; and December 14. As a break with tradition, says Glyn, the events will all be from 11am to 4pm.
For the Christmas trial run, he managed to create new banners with help from his partner Carolyn and had a full house of tables booked for the event. "It was a lovely, fun atmosphere between stallholders and visitors with lots of laughter," he recalls.
"I aim to get different charities involved with the kitchen and support as many as I can through the year. They keep all their proceeds.
"The reason I took it on was because I asked a question on Facebook: ‘When did craft fairs become non-craft fairs?’
"I had recently attended a 10-table craft fair where half the tables were not hand-crafted. My aim for Watten Hall Craft Fair +, is to have a full house of craft tables. I am looking for 20 craft tables each month. If I am short of a few, then I will look at other items, but I am trying to avoid produce such as meat or veg, or commercially produced. I have my book table, for example."
The cost is £10 per table. Extra space is an extra £5 per half table of floor space to the side of the exhibitor's table.
All table bookings need to be paid for two weeks prior to the fair date.
To book contact Glyn by email at: glyn.salisbury@btinternet.com or tel: 07730836973. New exhibitors should supply a picture of their stand along with their booking request.
