People involved in this project will run a series of workshops, one day courses and taster sessions to introduce textiles, small loom weaving, natural dyeing and felting. The courses will offer participants a new skill, an insight into local textile history and links to local organisations with an interest in textiles (eg Huddersfield University, West Yorkshire Print Workshop, The Textile Society, Tolson Museum).
The small groups will offer a comfortable learning environment and a good social setting. There will be an opportunity to further develop skills learnt if desired. Course venues will include the Packhorse Gallery/Making Space but may be held across Kirklees.
The project will enable people to:
- Learn a new skill
- Build confidence, self-esteem and improve wellbeing
- Enjoy creativity as part of wellbeing and recovery
- Participate in an enjoyable social experience
- Learn about Kirklees’s history and connections to the textile industry, traditional past techniques and processes, and how they have developed over time
It will also develop the workshops as future Recovery College courses, and raise mental health awareness and reduce stigma through links with local organisations.