“There was nothing for women, nowhere they could come together” – The weekly Kersal group for crafts and a cup of tea

The Lower Kersal Young People and Community Group are hosting a ‘Sewing, Knitting, and Nattering’ group every Monday.

In this group, the women which attend come together to sew, knit, crochet, have a chat, and have tea and biscuits.

Anyone over the age of 16 is welcome to join in. It takes place every Monday from 12pm to 2:30pm at St Aidan’s Church in Kersal, and its £2 a session.

Chair of the group and sewing instructor, Angela Mcavoy, started the group in 2005.

She said: “I realised in this area alone, there was football for lads, there was cricket and there was support for the men. But there was nothing for women, nowhere they could come together, speak, talk, have a coffee.

“I put in for funding, I got a couple of machines and it’s escalated since then.”

This group is an important outlet for those that attend, as it’s an opportunity to socialise as many of them currently live alone. They also occasionally organise day trips out, Ms Mcavoy is currently trying to arrange a trip to Skipton.

Ms Mcavoy said: “So then they come here, they talk, and they chat.

“We go out for days out. We put on day trips on, like at Christmas we went to Bents and then we went over the road to comfortable deals for a meal.”

Furthermore, they sometimes sell the items they make. They range from quilts, matching hats and cardigans for babies, stockings, and much more.

Ms Mcavoy also tends to donate items she makes. She said: “A fortnight ago I went to the Ukraine Centre in Cheetham Hill, and I’ve knitted 10 cardigans and 10 hats to match, for five boys and five girls, and I took them in.

“I have sent stuff for St Ann’s Hospice, I’ve sent stuff to Christie’s and I sent stuff to Salford Royal.”

To find out more information on this group, go to the Lower Kersal Young People and Community Group website.