Irene and Liz, Marion and Michele, Debbie and Sue all brought some handiwork along to the café, where a space was set aside for knitting, nattering, sewing and the sipping of tea. “We want to create community activities here at the shop and café,” says manager Michele Hall. “Our cooperative is owned by local people and run by volunteers: we are not aiming to be a commercial café. Besides welcoming visitors, we want to become the lounge of the village, a hub for residents to come and sit, try new activities, meet and make friends. We have lots more ideas – maybe a mums and babies group or a book club – we are just waiting for the pandemic restrictions to relax before we try them out.” Knit and Natter was declared a “blanket” success by its participants, who found the nattering took over from the knitting occasionally, but that’s the way it was meant to be. “We learnt things about each other we didn’t know before,” said Liz. “I’m really looking forward to doing this again!” If you’d like to join in with this friendly, informal group, call Michele on 01608 682838 to find out more. A willingness to natter is more important than the ability to knit.
