Crafts and Creative Shows
Alex Middleton explores the country’s craft and creative fairs and finds not only opportunities for groups to buy high quality work, but also to support local artisans.
The many craft fairs and creative shows held across the UK have always proved popular with groups and with a wide variety of events, ranging from the simple and rural to the chic and urban, GTOs will find they have a pleasing selection from which to choose.
The large organisers
The craft fairs held by professional craft organisations and large events organisers offer groups a varied and regular selection of events at all times of the year.
To begin, International Craft and Hobby Fair (ICHF) Events holds a range of fairs each year at venues throughout the UK. These include Craft Hobby and Stitch International, which is held each February at The NEC in Birmingham, where over 150 craftspeople exhibit their work, and Crafts for Scotland at the SECC in Glasgow in October, which attracts over 100 exhibitors annually. ICHF also organises a number of more specialist creative shows such as The Sugarcraft and Cake Decoration Show, also at the Birmingham NEC, and the textiles fair, Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts, at the Westpoint Centre in Exeter, both in October. All the company’s fairs feature demonstrations, lectures and advice on purchases from experts. Group discounts on entry are available.
Meanwhile, the Crafts Council runs two fairs every year. Origin, formerly the Chelsea Crafts Fair, features just over 300 stall-holders at its annual October fair, now held in Somerset House, and showcases some of the best quality work from new and established designer-makers (the industry term for craftspeople who design and make their own products) in disciplines such as ceramics, jewellery and glass. The Council’s second fair, Collect, takes place at the V&A in London each January and attracts exhibitors from 42 international galleries, exhibiting high quality craft work such as ‘Monumental Pots’, a series of huge earthenware creations, which will feature at next year’s fair. Concessions on entry are available for groups of over 10 at both fairs.
One of the country’s most established fairs, Goldsmiths’ Fair, which specialises in work by silversmiths, will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the Fair, which is held in Goldsmith’s Hall in London, will run for a week in September and an extra week in October. Among the 160 jewellers, silversmiths and designer-makers exhibiting their works will be stall holders from the original fair in 1983, who have been invited back especially for this year. Groups of over 30 who book in advance receive a 50% discount.
Over in the west country, another of the country’s biggest names in high quality craft fairs, The Contemporary Craft Fair, held at Bovey Tracey in Devon every June, will be hosting 160 stalls. The Fair specialises in work such as eco-friendly hand-made fashion, pieces by contemporary stone masons and porcelain designs, and also offers workshops, classes and demonstrations.
The Rural Crafts Association represents over 1,500 designer-makers and holds fairs throughout the year. The fairs are usually situated at larger events, such as the Devon County Show, held annually near Exeter in May. The Association also holds six events around the country every November and December, under the banner of Crafts for Christmas. These take place at The Brighton Centre in East Sussex, The Kent County Showground in Maidstone, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, Savill Garden in Windsor, Burghley House in Lincolnshire and the Great Yorkshire Showground, near Harrogate. Groups of over 10 receive a discount.
The Creative Arts Association was also established to assist craftspeople and to organise events to market their work. The Association’s Craft and Gift Fairs take place monthly at a variety of often scenic attractions, such as Gawsworth Hall in Cheshire, Haydock Park Racecourse in St Helens and the Staffordshire County Show in Stafford. Its larger fairs, such as those held at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, regularly attract over 140 stalls, whilst the smaller events, such as those at county shows host around 70 exhibitors. Most of its fairs include craft demonstrations. Group discounts are available.
Another of the large organising companies is HD Fairs, which runs Live Crafts, twice monthly at venues across the south of England, including the South of England Show Ground in West Sussex. Besides stalls selling high quality craftwork, such as ceramics and jewellery, the company’s fairs also include demonstrations on subjects such as spinning, music from performers including solo harpists or classical guitarists, art exhibitions and organic food courts.
Similarly, Oakleigh Fairs, which has a strong natural and organic ethos, organises craft fairs across the UK such as the Eastern England Craft Market, held every November at The Rhodes Centre in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire, featuring over 60 stalls and, just north of London, the monthly Street Craft Market in central Ilford.
h4.Small and friendly
For groups looking for good quality and a friendly atmosphere, more intimate fairs held at historic houses and those arranged by small organisers make an ideal day out.
Nationwide, National Trust properties run craft fairs throughout the year in a variety of locations, which feature good quality work by local and national craftspeople. Over the coming year Tatton Park, in Cheshire, will be holding fairs such as the Easter Craft Fair and the Cheshire Crafts and Gift Fair in October. Fairs are also held regularly at such attractions as Altringham Park in Shropshire, Brockhampton Estate in Herefordhire, Stourhead in Wiltshire, Montacute House in Somerset and Kingston Lacey in Dorset. Group discounts vary.
Moving on, Amber Events holds shows that attract on average between 20 and 45 exhibitors. Their fairs include Cambridge Craft and Gift Fair, held each year in May, and the Norwich Summer Craft Fair, held annually in July.
Travelling northwards, Yorkraft is an organisation set up by Yorkshire crafters to market their wares, which range from embroidery and jewellery to hand turned wooden furniture and ceramics. It observes a strict policy of allowing only articles made by the stallholder to be sold in its fairs, which usually feature about 20 stalls and are held on most weekends in the Yorkshire region, at locations such as Helmsley Town Hall, in North Yorkshire.