Cheltenham’s Craft Festival has returned for 2023, the town hall decorated in beautiful ornate creations once again.
The elegance that is already present in the main foyer is magnified with Christmas decorations and beautiful fairy lights strung around the room.
Despite the fair having only just opened it was bustling with people buying tickets and looking at stalls. There was a variety of stalls from textiles to jewellery, ceramics to glass, wool to wood; all of which had their own unique styles and products. The enormity of the hall was a sweet juxtaposition to the small and delicate items on display.
Kate Gwilliam from Hertfordshire who was a first-time stall holder said, “I heard a lot of people enjoyed this fair and I thought I would give it a go”. she also said she is really enjoying it so far and has made lots of new contacts which will help her greatly as “community is everything in this game”.
Ruth Broadway who makes lino-printed feather artworks was wearing a feathered nest headdress which she said made her feel more confident. She said she was quite nervous about the event and wearing the piece made her feel as if she was acting as a character in a play.
Ruth said she was really enjoying the event and that “people in the craft world are just lovely, joyful and friendly”. Her business started with her going around the city and picking up pigeon feathers, she now uses pure white goose feathers as this allows her to get a strong black and white graphic.
Philip Honey was representing his wife Nadege as she was preparing for another craft festival which will be taking place in Birmingham. Nadege designs jewellery made with handmade polymer clay beads.
Philip felt that craft festivals were rewarding as long as they were curated well. He was keen to say that Cheltenham Craft fair was a good example of a varied and well-selected show.
The public who attended all seemed to be enjoying the event immensely. Annie Hewett, a fellow craftswoman said she liked visiting the event to see what others were up to and the fair always showed work of a very high standard. Paul Fitchett said that he and his wife specifically came to Cheltenham to attend the Christmas Craft Fair.
The craft fair is on from 17th-19th November from 10am to 5pm with demonstrations, children’s workshops and much more going on throughout the day.
