The Big Skill – developing creative skills
Posted: 18th October 2021The Clarence Hall is home to a wide range of organisations who utilise its facilities on a regular basis. In this feature, we look at The Big Skill.
For the past ten years, The Big Skill has worked in Wales, Herefordshire and beyond, to share and develop creative and practical skills through traditional and contemporary craft workshops and events.
It has a team of skilled, experienced, adaptable practitioners who provide accessible, hands-on craft and rural skills activities.
Its motivation is in community-building. Key to this is reciprocity: everyone needs to feel they have something to offer in order to truly engage. The Big Skill workshops revolve around skill sharing, exchanging ideas and support between everyone: teachers, learners, host organisations and venues alike. This is how a thriving community functions.
Where possible, everything is made available at no cost to participants and is therefore open to all. The Big Skill often works with the vulnerable in our society: those with disabilities, people with mental health problems, the lonely and isolated, boosting well-being and promoting positive interaction, as well as environmental understanding through recycling skills and traditional crafts.
Like many others, The Big Skill was in the middle of a programme of projects when the pandemic hit. Rather than abandon their participants, lose the great relationships they had built up and leave their groups feeling their contributions were wasted, it chose to have a rethink and take its hands-on, accessible, friendly, empowering approach online, with considerable success.
The Big Skill has used the facilities of the Clarence Hall, Crickhowell, on a number of occasions and fully intends to continue this partnership in the future. Its next event is a Needle Felting workshop on Thursday, 4 November, 1-4pm, hosted by Emma of FfolkyFfelt.
Book your place at the Big Skill website: https://www.thebigskill.com/event-details/needle-felting-workshop-4
