My name is Ann and I’ve been an upcycling volunteer at Emmaus for almost 10 years.
I started volunteering as part of the Upcycling team after I retired. My daughter and I visited Emmaus just to look around, when I saw a leaflet about joining the upcycling team. My daughter said “that’s just right for you mum”. So, one Friday morning I turned up, and I’ve been here ever since!
We meet every Friday, have a chat and make just about anything and everything – including bags, soft toys, blankets, cushions and cards. Martin, Denise and Pam make gorgeous upcycled furniture too, whilst I stick to the smaller stuff. Sometimes I’ll make six bags in a week, then I’ll come back the next week and they will have sold. I’m so pleased when people buy the things I make. It gives me a sense of pride and purpose knowing that I’m making something that somebody else wants, all whilst helping fund Emmaus.
The community behind the crafting
Emmaus is important to me because it’s a community. None of the upcycling team had met before joining but we all soon became friends. I’ve met a lovely group of people who I can talk to, we help each-other and we always have a good laugh! During lockdown it was awful. I missed everybody like most people did. But it was so nice when we came back. It’s therapy for us because if we’re feeling down, we come here and feel lifted.
We get to know the companions too. They are all a really nice set of people. Sue recently mended some jeans for companion Rob, and he wrote us a thank-you card saying how good we made everyone feel. It was so lovely what he wrote inside and it makes us feel appreciated. Emmaus is like a big family.
From unwanted to upcycled
Everything we make is made from upcycled materials that have been donated. Crafting is brilliant, and making things with upcycled materials is even better because otherwise the material would’ve been thrown away. Sometimes I’ll go to the tip and see what people are throwing away and think ‘why are you throwing that away? It could go to somebody else!’ I love the idea that anything that’s donated can be made into something new. My favourite things to do are sewing and crocheting – which is very useful at the moment, as we are working together to make blankets for winter.
Being part of the upcycling team at Emmaus is amazing. We make some fantastic stuff and have lots of fun. I’m not just helping Emmaus, they help me too.
