Advent Calendar – Page 4 – Wellingborough Eco Group

Wellingborough Library

Today’s Advent Calendar window opens for Wellingborough Library who are hosting a variety of activities right up until Christmas! There’s always something happening at the Library and the staff were very keen to tell us all about it, so we videoed them for you.

On the video, Dee and Sophie tell us the exciting things they do, and all about their new Warm Safe Space for Wellingborough this winter, that is offering free tea, coffee and soup during their opening hours, for those looking for a warm place to stay during these tough times.

Children can join in too with a huge number of activities including, starting today, a World Cup football challenge that runs until Christmas Eve! They’ll provide some colouring and activity resources for children to complete in the library or take home with them. There’s a variety of designs to create a ‘design your own football kit’. The library will display the entries where there’s space and an overall winner will be announced in the New Year!

Here are some more activities Wellingborough Library are doing during the rest of December:

Under 1’s Fun: Tuesday 13th and 20th 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Manga and Anime Club: Tuesday 13th 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Library Rhymetime: Wednesday 14th and 21st 9:45am – 10:15am
Library Bounce and Rhyme (Under 1s): Wednesday 14th and 21st 11:00am – 11:30am
Craft and Chatter Group: Wednesday 14th and Friday 16th 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Preschool Play: Thursday 15th and 22nd 9:30am – 10:30am and 10:30am – 11:30am
Family Fun Club: Saturday 17th and 24th 10:30am – 11:30am
Christmas Story Time: Every morning from Monday 19th through to Saturday 24th 9:30am – 10:00am

As well as having thousands of books, they have computers to use and meeting rooms for hire. The Library shop sells a selection of greetings cards, gift items, children’s toys and educational material. They are also the place to find out about local tourist information.

Opening hours

	Opens	Closes
Monday	9am	6pm
Tuesday	9am	6pm
Wednesday	9am	6pm
Thursday	9am	6pm
Friday	9am	6pm
Saturday	9am	5pm
Sunday	Closed	Closed

You will find them at Pebble Lane, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 1AS. They also have a busy Facebook page that shares lots of posts about their activities. Visit Wellingborough Library today!

Redeem Funds

Today we open our Advent Calendar window and doors to Redeem Funds. Join in with Redeem Funds for a Winter Warmer hot food swap at ECO HUB today 12:30-3:00. Bring your cooked food and savouries to this food sharing event, meet new people and old friends; it’s Christmas and it’s free to attend. Mary will also be cooking up lots of spicy treats!

Redeem Funds is a foodbank that offers lots of fruits, veggies and bread at two sites in Wellingborough for a small donation. They open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at Cowper Road and Sundays, and on Mondays and Tuesdays at Shakespeare Road. They also have frozen items if you need any. Join their busy Facebook Group for updates.

Watch the video of Mary showing us around her busy Cowper Road on Friday where they were providing Help Bags to those who requested them. Alongside their regular fresh food service, they now have added three new sections at Cowper Road to support families in our community:

Well-being section: For families or ladies struggling to buy sanitary pads are welcome to take one when needed but not every day please.
Pet Section: If you are sometimes struggling to buy pet food you are welcome to take a couple of items from there. But do speak with the members of the staff.
Help bag section: Grab any ten items (one of each item but some items you can have two) for extra £5 separate donation to foodbank. All items in this selves are on date.

Redeem Funds Help Bags and Fresh food available last Friday at Cowper Road.

Redeem Funds are a non profit Christian organisation that helps, supports and provides for destitute people. They are in need of ambient food and personal health items to share with those who need them. They support many families in Wellingborough and share with our Food Sharers every Tuesday, please do support them if you can.

Do join in to celebrate Christmas early or just to enjoy each other food at today’s Redeem Funds Winter Warmer. You will find us 12:30-3:00 at ECO HUB Glamis Hall, Goldsmith Road, Wellingborough, NN8 3RU. See you there!

Christmas Party

Today’s Advent Calendar window opens for the Victoria Centre who are ‘Lighting up the Darkness’ with their Christmas Interfaith Children’s Party this afternoon. Join them 2:00-5:00 for lots of traditional festive games from across the world, a bouncy castle and a visit from Father Christmas himself! Wellingborough Town Council will also be there to ask you what you want.

The Victoria Centre has been serving all communities in Wellingborough since 1979. It has welcomed and supported everyone from different countries and continues to be Wellingborough’s multicultural meeting place. They provide services for new arrivals and friendship for all.

Their Warm Room on Tuesdays gives people from the Victoria ward of Wellingborough the opportunity to shelter from the cold and socialise with other residents, play board games, and enjoy a free meal like soup, sandwiches, baked potatoes and beans on toast. It is available on Tuesdays from 10am until 4pm, and will run for 14 consecutive weeks until February 28, and they’ll be having these on Saturdays in January too!

Watch the video to see Kevin, Centre Manager, tell you all about the centre, what’s on and all about today’s Christmas Party. Join them for lots of festive fun this afternoon 2:00-5:00. It’s free, they look forward to welcoming you!

Daily Bread Co-operative

Today’s advent window opening is for the Daily Bread Co-operative, which is a rather special place that’s good for you and the environment. Daily Bread is a wholefood shop in Northampton that is a worker’s co-operative, the store opened in October 1980 and their name comes from the Lord’s Prayer. Here John Clarke, manager and member for 37 years, tells you all about the shop and its products:

They are an ethically based business valuing people over maximizing profit. They stock a huge range of cereals, fried fruit and nuts, granola’s and muesli, as well as a large range of gluten free produce. Many of their products are organic, Fairtrade or both. They stock a huge range of vegan and vegetarian foods, plus have lots of eco-friendly cleaning products and a gift section.

Despite the name, they are not a bakery, though they do stock bread, flapjacks and slices, some of which are cooked on the premises. They also have a successful online shop at dailybread.co.uk.

On the same site, Workbridge have a garden centre, coffee shop, gift shop and studio. They offer a vocational pathway for people with mental illness, autism, learning disabilities or brain injuries, and provide people with opportunities to gain skills and build confidence.

You’ll not only be tempted by their coffee and cakes, unique gift items and high-quality plants, but you’ll also get to see for yourself how they help transform lives and enable their community users to realise their potential.

Join them today and tomorrow at their Christmas Craft Fair. Support the Workbridge charity and have a great time, there are more than 30 stalls and a fantastic raffle, prizes include a 78 Derngate tour and tea for 2.

You can find the Daily Bread Co-operative and Workbridge at: The Old Laundry, Bedford Road, Northampton NN4 7AD. They are just off of the A45 and about 15 minutes by car, or there is a bus from Northampton Town Centre. So, if you are heading that way, pop in and stock up!

Repair Café – Advent Calendar

Today’s Advent Calendar window opens for our Repair Café because there’s one on this Saturday! Starting from 9am and ending at 12 noon on Saturday 10th December, it takes place in ECO HUB at Glamis Hall, Goldsmith Rd, Wellingborough, NN8 3RU. Various volunteer repair experts will be available to help repair your broken items, free of charge. Tools and materials will also be on hand.

People visiting the Repair Café can bring along their broken items from home. Toasters, lamps, hair dryers, clothes, bikes, toys, any portable item that is broken is welcome, apart from microwaves and CRT devices such as old style televisions, and we will do our best to fix it. We will operate a booking system, so you will be given a time slot to avoid waiting too long. Book your time slot now on our Repair Café page!

“By promoting repairs, Wellingborough Eco Group wants to help reduce mountains of waste. This is absolutely necessary! We throw away piles of stuff in the UK, even things which have practically nothing wrong with them, and which could easily be used again after a simple repair. Unfortunately, many people have forgotten that they can have things repaired. Our Repair Café wants to change all that.”
Judy Sumner

Our Repair Café is also meant to put neighbours in touch with each other in a new way, to discover that a lot of know-how and practical skills can be found close to home. If you repair a bike, a hair dryer or a pair of trousers, together with a previously unfamiliar neighbour, you look at that person in a different light the next time you run into them on the street. Jointly making repairs can lead to making new friends in the neighbourhood.

Wellingborough Eco Group points out that repairs can save money and resources, and can help minimise CO2 emissions. But above all, our Repair Café just wants to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is.

The Repair Café concept arose in Amsterdam in 2009, and was formulated by Martine Postma, at the time a journalist/publicist. In 2010, she started the Repair Café International Foundation (see Repaircafe.org/en). This foundation provides professional support to local groups around the world wishing to start their own Repair Café. We have now joined the Repair Café International Foundation and are running our Café according to their guidelines.

Do you like fixing things? We are also seeking more repairers, so if you want to share your skills (whatever they are) to save stuff being thrown away, join us. We would love you to get involved! Message us using the form on the Repair Café page if you are interested.

Feeling Social? If you are on Facebook, we have a group for you too, join in now at Repair Café | Facebook for sharing advice and fixes. The group works on the same principles as our in-person Repair Cafe does, but do be aware that anyone in the community can offer advice, so Wellingborough Eco Group does not take any responsibility for bad advice, if in doubt contact us!

Right to Repair. We have also joined the Right to Repair Campaign, find out more about it here. Wellingborough Eco Group organises a Repair Café on a regular basis at ECO HUB, Glamis Hall, on the second Saturday of every month 9am-12noon. Bring your broken items this Saturday!

Wellingborough Eco Group’s ECO HUB is at Glamis Hall which also has a Christmas Festival on the same day 9:30-4. So, if you want something fixed pop along for the Repair Cafe and then stay for the Christmas Festival. See you on Saturday at ECO HUB for your fix and Glamis Hall for some festive fun for all!

Warm Wednesdays at St Mark’s Church

After a frosty start, today’s Advent Calendar window opens for St Mark’s Church on Queensway and their Warm Wednesdays. This and every Wednesday in Winter they are offering Warm Wednesdays, 10-3pm, in the Choir Vestry, Church End of the building, for friendship, fellowship, films, games, advice, support, signposting, warm food and drinks, in a cosy room. Don’t be cold, bored or lonely and come along and say hi! Everyone is very welcome.

Today Weavers Academy choir students helped warm up some of our local community at St Mark’s Warm Wednesdays, with some carol singing, turkey & stuffing rolls and mince pies. Here is Father Ben telling you all about their Warm Wednesdays and all the other activities at the church:

St Mark’s is always a welcoming church with a family atmosphere, in which all who come are valued and cared for. They pride themselves in being flexible and friendly, offering a varied range of worship, traditional and modern, reflective and interactive. Here are their weekly services:

Sunday	9:30am Sung Holy Communion Service in Church This service is broadcast live on Facebook. Click Here for the link
	Mini-Marks takes place in the vestry for children (except 1st Sunday)

Tuesday	7:15pm Evening Prayers in church

Thursday	9:30am Said Holy Communion service in church

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday	9:00am Said Morning Prayer in church

They also hold many other social and fundraising events for all children and adults:

Weekdays	From 8:45am Happy Dayz Nursery (in term time) – Michelle 07886 450069

Mondays	7pm Alcoholic Anonymous – Fr Ben 07977 243197

Tuesdays	2pm-4pm Tuesday Friendship Group (fortnightly) – Frances 07548 729095
	7:30pm:Keep Fit Group

Wednesdays	10am-3pm Warm Wednesday Support Drop-in : Fr Ben 07977 243197
	6pm Young Peoples Music Club
	7:30pm Bingo Wednesday Group (1st of Month) – George 07939 321692

Thursdays	6pm Beavers, Cubs and Scouts

Fridays	UP2U Youth Club (fortnightly) – Contact: https://www.facebook.com/up2uyouthclub
	6pm – 8yrs old to Year 6
	7:30pm – Year 7 and above

Saturdays	10am – 12pm Well-being Coffee Shop – Fr Ben 07977 243197 (with local councillors, parish nurse, support, friendship and prayer.)

Feel free to pop over at St Mark’s today from 10am until 3pm. It’s free and a great opportunity to come and meet new friends and enjoy a chat. Warm Wednesdays are every Wednesday until February. They look forward to seeing you soon.

Click here for directions to St Mark’s Church, 142 Queensway, Wellingborough, NN8 3SD

Christmas Festival

Today’s Advent Calendar window opens for Glamis Hall for All, because it’s their Christmas Festival on Saturday! Entry to the festival is free, the fun starts at 9:30 and finishes at 4:00. You can meet Santa for just £5 and have your face painted for £3, plus there’s lots of other stalls, a café, a raffle, a tombola, and Wellingborough Eco Group has a pocket money games stall and teddy tombola too!

Places are now on sale to meet the main man himself; Glamis Hall are requesting that you book Santa and face painting in advance via Ticket Source to avoid disappointment. Children visiting Santa receive a Christmas stocking containing Christmas-themed activity sheets, treats and a stationary set. Reindeer food and hot chocolate cones are available to purchase on the day.

The festival includes a Christmas market for the grown-ups with food & drink stalls, handmade and specialist gift stalls include candles and crackers, pickles and jams, handmade items, and sweets. Don’t forget to visit the tombola and raffle stalls to try for a prize.

Jo, Centre Manager, tells us all about the Christmas Festival at Glamis Hall

About Glamis Hall

Glamis Hall is a community centre on the Queensway Estate in Wellingborough. Run for the community, by the community, their motto is Glamis Hall for all. Home to a day centre for older people, a youth club, football and GLJ Theatre. Hall & rooms for hire. There plenty of free parking or take the W1 bus from Church Street in the town centre.

It consists of a wellbeing centre for the over 50s, a large sports hall with a kitchen and servery, a community meeting room, and sports changing rooms. After being closed by Wellingborough Borough Council in 2014, Glamis Hall reopened as a charity run by volunteers and relatives of clients in January 2015. The Hall’s many daily visitors, who range in age from 51 to 103, help to decide the programming.

Regular activities include a Monday to Friday lunch club, yoga, raffles, and bingo. They have a shop on site and host visits from hairdressers, optometrists and district nurses– making it easy for their clients to access the services they need with minimal travel. Glamis Hall’s mission is to provide an affordable community hub for the residents of Wellingborough and the surrounding area.

See you on Saturday!

Wellingborough Eco Group’s ECO HUB is also at Glamis Hall which also has a Repair Cafe on the same day 9-12. So, if you want something fixed pop along for the Repair Cafe and then stay for the Christmas Festival. See you on Saturday at Glamis Hall, 9:30-4, for some festive fun for all!

Kwanzaa Greetings

Today’s Advent Calendar Window opens for Made with Many to celebrate the 6th Kwanzaa principle – Kuumba Creativity! Here Myrle tells you on video* why you should join in at Wellingborough Library on Saturday 10th December:

Made With Many is a community-led arts programme which produces events and activities designed to surprise, delight and inspire. The programme aims to encourage more people than ever before to take the lead in experiencing, creating and taking part in high-quality arts and cultural activities.

Join in to create an amazing banner with Cinnamon Arts or enjoy some storytelling and children’s activities. Everyone is welcome, come and learn all about Kwanzaa!

In partnership with the Black Community Forum of Made With Many through Arts Council England funding.

Date: Saturday 10th December 2022

Time: 11am – 1pm

Venue: Wellingborough Library, 7 Pebble Lane, Wellingbrough NN8 1AS

Who is it for: Everyone is welcome!

Cost: FREE activities

Parking: Free North Northants Council car parks nearby at Jackson’s Lane or Commercial Way

Contact: myrle@madewithmany.org 07936958997 (Tue – Fri)

*This video is part of the recording of November’s Warm and Well Community Resilience Forum, a forum of local people and organisations to help Wellingborough cope with the cost-of-living crisis and to support each other. It is hosted by Wellingborough Organisations and presented by our secretary Jonathan in his other role as Co-op Member Pioneer Wellingborough. You can watch the whole forum at https://youtu.be/wm8J_JKdVYs

Christmas Tabletop Sale

Today’s Advent Calendar Window opens for a local community centre and charity that is working at the heart of their community. The Hemmingwell Skills and Community Centre are doing so many things to support local people; today, 12-4pm, they are hosting a Christmas Tabletop Sale that includes loads of festive fun, cake, a raffle and craft and gift stalls, all to raise funds for their vital community work.

Paula Elmore and Marion Lamont have recently taken over the management of the Hemmingwell Community and Skills Centre CIO last year with two general assistants. Paula and Marion are both trustees who give their time freely and are supported by their wonderful volunteers and other trustees, who all help to keep the centre open and running smoothly.

Here Kate and Paula tell our Jonathan all about the upcoming events at the Hemmingwell Skills and Community Centre, including this Sunday’s Christmas Tabletop Sale. As you can see their spirits are high and Christmas has well and truly arrived in Hemmingwell!

The Hemmingwell Community & Skills Centre also hosts a popular food bank every Thursday from 2pm to 3.30pm. Bring your own bags, the donation is £7 per family, and you can stay for a coffee, cake and a chat. They also have Northamptonshire LIVE Team’s children’s coat rail there to keep little ones warm this winter, just bring along their last year’s coat and swap for a donated coat from their rail.

The centre’s wonderful hall and separate meeting room are also available to hire for community events, parties, functions and meetings, both during the week and at weekends. This is at a discounted rate for local residents. The centre also hosts parties for the community, including a Christmas party for local residents!

Open 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday, visit Hemmingwell Community and Skills Centre CIO at 119 Nest Farm Crescent, Hemmingwell NN8 4TU Wellingborough, there is car parking at the rear of the building, or call 01933 405595.

Christmas Market

Today’s Advent Calendar window opens for Wellingborough Town Council and all of the festive activities they and others are hosting in the Town Centre today! The festivities start at 10am at their Christmas Market. Head down to Market Square between 10:00 – 16:00 on Saturday for an array of market stalls, plus there loads more on…

Here Emma, who’s organising the events, tells you what festive fun is on today!

In addition to the Christmas Market there will also be a visit from some Real Reindeer from 10am – 2pm and a Giant Snow Globe from 11am – 3pm which is FREE for people to get a festive photo. A Christmas Wreath making workshop is taking place 10:30am – 12:30pm in the Hatton room at the Hind Hotel, but all tickets have sold out. There is also a Carol Service at All Hallows Church at 3pm so the day is full of festive fun!!

Join in the festive fun at all of these Christmas events on today in Wellingborough Town Centre!

Visit the Swansgate Centre to meet someone very special! Santa and his little helpers are there 10am – 4pm. See them to receive a free Christmas gift. Wellingborough Library also have an affordable fun day with its Christmas fair, they have games starting from 20p and free crafts, like making an air-dry clay tree decoration! Stall holders are waiting for you to grab some beautiful gifts.

Do visit the Christmas Tree Festival, 10:00am-4:00pm, at the High Street Church too, as featured on yesterday’s Advent Calendar. The town is full of festive fun all day, with the Christmas Market, Reindeer, Snow Globe, wreaths, Santa, Christmas Fair and Christmas Tree Festival, so why not make a day of it?!