Posts Tagged ‘woven baskets’
We have just published another edition of our retail basketry brochure .
Baskets, obelisks, panels, sandwich baskets…the variety of woven products that our craft team can manufacture continues to grow.
We make our woven items using English willow, in our Cambridge workshops.
If you are interested in WinterWillow products, and in supporting the work of WinterComfort for the Homeless , than visit our basketry page on our main website and download or view a copy of our latest publication.
You can find our basketry pages here .
Roger and the willow design team have been busy during the summer heatwave, adding some new woven willow products to our catalogue of items for sale.
The design and craft team have completed work on a new garden light.
This is a woven basket, mounted on a pole, which has a glass container and t-light included in the securely woven basket.
The items can be manufactured to any length – making ideal ground lights for a garden corner – or as a secure and effective ‘standard’ for parades or ceremonies as dusk falls.
We are working to update our downloadable catalogue, but you can see the garden light page here.
Use our contact us page if you would like more information and prices immediately.
Craft skills shining on willow at WinterWillow – part of WinterComfort.
WinterComfort are attending the Hope Street Yard Urban Larder fair on the first Saturday of every month.
Supporting the Cambridge Link-Up presence at the market you can find WinterWillow woven baskets, garden ornaments and other willow goodness on sale.
Why not drop by and see us on the first Saturday in the month, particularly while the weather is good – perfect for that garden obelisk or hanging basket.
As the nights begin to darken you can also find your perfect seasonal gift on the stall too – helping to support Cambridge Link-Up , a homeless led community group.
This news item comes to you from The Willow Way – our blog about social enterprise and willow.
Image: A member of the WinterComfort team checks the stall display…
Roger Fowle, our weaving tutor at WinterWillow, has written a short account of his journey in willow.
Describing how he got started, what captured his imagination and those who gave him help along the way.
Roger is working both to support the weaving team at WinterWillow and to help encourage the take-up of weaving skills by the users of our Centre at WinterComfort for the Homeless.
Roger says that ‘…willow weaving is a great way to acquire useful new skills, to get back into work or to create objects which can be sold to support the work of our charity’.
The weaving team at WinterWillow are always happy to show visitors their work and to encourage others to take up the craft.
From small baskets, woven eco-coffins can grow.
In The Guardian today Ian Tucker writes about the collaboration between the Eden Project and Homeless Link that will create the biggest garden ever built at the Chelsea Flower Show.
The garden and its accompanying displays will have been created by the energy and creativity of at least 400 people with experience of homelessness. A 100 people from prisons across the UK will also have added their input to the project.
The garden, Places of Change, is financially supported by the government-funded Homes and Communities Agency, the Department of Communities and Local Government, and the London Employer Accord.
WinterWillow will be displaying a woven willow eco-coffin at the garden, as part of our work for WinterComfort for the Homeless.
Maybe we’ll see you at the Chelsea Flower Show next week?
You can see Ian Tucker’s article here. There is also a video about the creativity and involvement of people in the garden who have experienced homelessness here.
Members of the WinterWillow team were in Liverpool this week. We were attending a meeting at Mildmay House, the organisation which provides accommodation and support for those experiencing homelessness in the Toxteth area.
Part of the Chapter One group of service providers, they have created a new social enterprise, Bloomin’ Baskets, which delivers products manufactured by service users at their centre, to customers at the various market stalls they maintain across the city.
We were meeting with a variety of organisations from across the country to discuss the possibility of creating a supply network for social enterprises in our sector.
There are many successful social businesses emerging, who serve those with experience of being homeless, so that the idea of creating a network of such businesses to supply each other with sectorally created goods or services was very well received.
Networking is not a new idea in the third sector. The goods and services we offered as a group were not radical either. However, what the group could offer was a supply chain network where organisations could share revenue, good ideas and social business support as a distinct group – directly contributing to the development of ethical sales.
These are very early days, yet each city and community fosters a diverse range of goods within its area – getting those goods to a wider market and increasing the benefit to service users can only be a good thing?
Our meeting was itself facilitated by the 3xE network – watch this space for more network creation news.
WinterWillow has introduced a new item in its woven willow range of garden oranaments and accessories for 2010.
We are able to offer our customers a WinterWillow designed hanging basket – a conical shape, with woven hanging loop. We are offering the basket as a plain item, or with liner and flowers complete.
Each basket is individually made by our craft team. Each basket is therefore unique and offers you a delightful addition to our regular obelisks and other woven baskets.
You can download a basketry brochure from our woven basket page on the WinterWillow website.
Susanna works with our team of volunteers, staff and centre users to create woven willow products for our social enterprise, WinterWillow.
Directly involved in developing willow products for our basketry and garden range, Susanna brings both enthusiasm and an artistic sensibility to her engagement with the team.
Her experience as a maker and tutor is an invaluable part of the WinterWillow process.
The short film below shows Susanna finishing a Wishing Star from our range – ideally illustrating how much care the WinterWillow team put into even the smallest woven product.
If you would like a pack of Wishing Stars you can download our basketry and garden brochure from our basketry page on the WinterWillow web site…order form included if that helps?
You can visit the home page of our charity WinterComfort for the Homeless here.
See what the energy of taking The Willow Way can support.
As mentioned in a previous Willow Way entry we are building new web pages for our WinterWillow web site that will let you buy our retail baskets and garden products with one click.
We are not quite there yet – but have uploaded a short price list and order form for our baskets and garden products. It features short biographical information on WinterWillow, a price list and an order form that you can copy, print or post back to us with your requirements.
You can also use our contact us page to ask for information.
You can download our list on the following pages…
Our general baskets page
Our obelisk page
If you do buy a WinterWillow woven basket – thank you.
To access our stored documents you can download a free copy of Adobe Reader here.
As we talk to our customers about WinterWillow products and services we always stress how different a social enterprise is from a ‘normal’ business. The social outcomes of our energies are paramount.
What we produce for has equal status with what we produce… might be a good mantra for a charity based social business.
Like any charity our volunteers help us provide services and delivery as an organisation. As a mature charity our systems for volunteer support are well established. The WinterWillow team are always happy to convert our customers into volunteers too. Not as painful process as it sounds…just a great way to contribute to the production of woven willow objects for community benefit.
Can you spare some time? A great way to start is to discover the volunteer page on our main charity website.
You can find volunteering information here.
You will find the WinterComfort for the Homeless volunteer application form and the volunteer handbook we have produced. Alternatively you can ring us on 01223 518140 and ask for our Volunteer Co-ordinator.
Could you be a vital volunteer?
