For quite a while we have been finding new homes for older laptops that people have donated. We wipe the hard drive put on low power operating system and make sure it works well enough to browse the web.
We are now widening this out to phones and tablets. They are tricker to fix so we are also doing a partnership with St Augustine’s refugee project who can fix the devices that we can’t.
To back up this offer we are also going to do monthy Tech and Tea events to support people getting online. If you could help us by donating devices or volunteering at Tech and Tea please do get in touch on todmordenmakery @ gmail.com.
The Makery has been a fantastic project to get involved with. As we come up to our second birthday we now have 6 weekly drop-ins and other regular Men in Sheds and Women in Workshops sessions. These are great spaces for doing repairs, getting on with your making projects or getting help to do particular project. These sessions are now usually thriving and lively. It can be a bit hectic for some. We now have a dedicated quiet session on Wednesdays at 1.30.
We also have one off workshops which are a great way of getting involved in the project. Have a look at the flyers below for more information.
Recover and Remake is a series of creative, sustainable textile workshops in a relaxing and friendly environment designed to support the mental wellbeing of Todmorden residents. Feel free to ask us any questions.
Do you think this would be a good thing for you or someone you know. If so please do get in touch.
We’ll get in touch on the week of the workshop to confirm. If we can’t offer you a space you should still be able to complete the project as we’ll provide materials and some guidance at our drop in sessions. Come in and ask about out project boxes.
The Makery as a welcoming and supportive space.
We want to try to make our workshop as welcoming as we can for many sorts. The sessions above are especially aimed to help people’s wellbeing. We have found that one off guided workshops are really good at getting new people involved in the Makery. Especially for people that may find the drop in sessions a bit hectic or are not sure how to get involved.
Also each of these workshops aims to create a project box which will contain materials and pictures and where appropriate instructions. These boxes will be stored under the main tables of the workshop making it easy to get them out and have a guided project to get started on.
One job that needs doing is to test out a Project Box and check that it is easy to to use. You could then give feedback or if you want to go further improve it with photos or simple instructions. Just get in touch on todmordenmakery @gmail.com
Drop In Sessions Tuesdays 6.30 – 8.30 pm Monthly on First Tuesdays Makery Workshop – Tod College, Burnley Rd
“Build, brew & bond”
Upcoming dates Tuesday 5th September
Tuesday 3rd October
Come along to Women in Workshop at the Makery (Todmorden’s Community Workshop project). At these sessions you will have access to the tools and materials available in the workshop. Wood, Textiles and DiY etc. What happens? It’s an informal learning space. Women come to work on their projects or to ask for help with specific ideas. Sometimes there are demonstrations of specific skills. If you have questions feel free to get in touch on todmordenmakery@gmail.com
Elaine and Christine ran a fantastic workshop on making decorative repairs. You can come into a Wednesday or Friday drop in in the days if you want to try to get help doing the same.
Ben Duxbury ran this workshop which managed to fit in making stools into a very short timeframe by carefully planning the workshop to allow different pairs of participants to make one piece each which slotted together at the end.
We are open today Wednesday but closed on Friday the 17th March 2023. Then it’s back to normal service.
Secondly – you are invited to an event at the Makery next Friday
Come share ideas with us Every now and then we have a Meet Up & Eat Up to share food and ideas for project, events and other things at the Makery.
All welcome to this open Meet Up & Eat Up gathering
Friday 24th Mar 11-12 Makery Workshop – Todmorden College – Burnley Road
Finally, you are invited to a Photography Exhibition by Chris Foster – who made the photo frames with the support of the Makery and it’s volunteers.
1-31 March 2023 – Todmorden Information Centre – 15 Burnley Rd, Todmorden OL14 7BU
As the Covid 19 pandemic forced us into lockdown the word ‘gathering’ became synonymous with something we could no longer do, something which was in fact illegal. Yet, while we were forced to wave to each other from different sides of the street, to talk through windows, or to meet in some new virtual capacity, nature carried on without us. Perhaps even celebrated our absence from places we had previously dominated.
Forced to stay local, to be still, and seeking the connection I could no longer find with people, I began to wander areas I had not yet given attention, often due to a lack of time. As a commercial photographer it seemed that my work had dominated my creative output. The pandemic, it seems, forced many of us to slow down, to ponder, to reflect. As the weeks became months, and even years, I became the observer of these gatherings in nature; places where starlings chattered amongst the branches, badgers collected in the evening light and rain drops congregated on leaves and webs.
Now we once again gather, enjoying each other’s company and revelling in the closeness of each other. We come together for events, for groups, for company. Nowhere is this celebration of each other, of community more evident than in the Saturday Makery, where young and old gather to create, to talk, to share. In fact, it was in the Makery that I built the frames which hold the prints you see. As such 20% of all profits from sales will be donated to this group to ensure that we can continue to gather.
A recent free workshop led by Matt Davies on screen printing looked great. Let’s hope, it can be the start of on-going work on Screen Printing in the Makery. Screen Printing is a perfect project which could bring together all the different areas of the Makery and suitable for all ages.
Come and grab some bargains and declutter your unneeded fabric and haberdashery.
Bring your unwanted fabric, thread, knitting yarn, buttons, zips, knitting needles, patterns, bits and bobs, swap for something you’ll use. And give a donation if you can to help keep us going!
Inspired by Stitched Up’s Fabric Yard Sale and Bring and Buy Sales too. Image from Stitchup.coop
Buy fabric and craft supplies to start, or finish, your project / repair job / slow sew. Refresh your supplies and support the Makery.
This is more than a Sale: The Makery is also a friendly community of makers. Share a cuppa and hints and tips to start a new soothing, calming piece of knitting or sewing, or learn how to take up a hem, make a door curtain and matching draft excluded, patch an elbow. To find out more how to join the makery to get updates see this page. If you want to support us with a one of or regular donation have a look here.
If you would like to book onto this workshop please do come down to the Makery workshop to sign up. The sign up form is by the entrance. Or just ask a volunteer to help.
This Rag Rug workshop is one of our ReCover and ReMake sessions. In these session we use recycled or reusable materials to make something artistic and/or useful. They are also aimed to be relaxing and social too. It’s a good way to find out what is happening at the Makery and you’ll be invited to join as a member and come back to drop in sessions to keep going with your projects if you want to.
It was great to host Jonathan Atkinson from Carbon Coop / People Powered Retrofit on Saturday 14th of May. There was a fully booked and packed room at Tod College and some great feedback from those that came.
Here’s a couple of quick reports from Jonathan.
A big thanks to everyone who attended the workshop on Saturday, we’re reviewing your feedback and planning next steps, but there is clearly a lot of interest to build on.
HacktionLab presents “That tech is mine!”: a hacktionlab / barnCamp Reunion – featuring workshops and discussions on alt-media, radical tech collectives, right to repair, free and open source software, the maker mentality, and the old hacker ethic.
Bring what you expect to find
Dates – Friday 10th, Saturday 11th, and Sunday 12th June 2022 – NOW FULL
What to Expect: This event is an unconference with a wide range of themes broadly about technology, justice and the environment. See here for more on Hacktion Camp 2022.
Workshops will take place in the Makerspace – Todmorden Makery and other rooms in Todmorden College. We will be camping in a scenic and sheltered location within Todmorden which is 10 mins walk to the college. Cost: £25 covers room hire for venue and 2 meals (Sat lunch and Sun brunch – vegetarian with vegan options) – payable on arrival – please add any allergies to the comments section of the form.
Arrive with ideas of what you want to share and we’ll work together to create a schedule for the weekend. While this is an unconference and you are free to arrive with rough ideas. It is helpful to have some workshops planned and shared in advance. If you can please do add on to the workshops page here see our wiki page for the Event
Keeping in touch – Before the event it is a good idea to be on the hacktionlab email list and to ask questions there – you can sign up for that here.
Please do make sure you have a good understanding of what to expect from the event. Please see our wiki page for full details
Learn about energy efficiency and making home improvements
Sat : 10.00 – 11.30 : 14th May 2022 ; FREE Makery Workshop – Todmorden College Followed by drop in advice session 11.30 – 12.30
What do we mean when we talk about energy efficiency and retrofit? In this short, beginners guide we explore basic ideas and concepts, helping you get to grips with how you might reduce energy bills, improve your property and make your home a little bit greener.
For: householders interested in energy efficiency and domestic retrofit, housing association staff, housing co-ops and landlords. Trainers: Jonathan Atkinson
What would you like to do or to see happen at the Makery next?
Friday : 11.30 – 13.00 : 8th April 2022 (rescheduled)
Makery Workshop – Todmorden College
Come share your ideas for what activities we should organise at the Makery.
We are a member-run space. Mostly we have been building up drop-ins which are going great. Also recently there have been some great one-off workshops run by volunteers. But we might want to do more and we also have a budget to pay workshop leaders who can’t volunteer.
Come to this event to decide
This event is to ask our members, friends and partners What we should do next.
Or in other words what would you like to see at the Makery.
Workshops for Spring and Summer – paid and volunteer-run
Ongoing Projects we should make happen as volunteers
Partnerships with other groups or freelancers
What resources should we buy to encourage making and fixing at our drop-ins
Other ideas for activities to attract a range of people?
How can we remove any barriers to people using our space?
