We went along to the third Swop n Shop on Saturday 20th October, this time held at Banks Mill, to have a good rummage!
For those that aren't familiar with it, Swop n Shop is an event held by The British Red Cross. It is a unique charity clothes swop, craft and vintage fair that celebrates all things vintage, handmade, upcycled and second hand. An event that is perfectly suited to the current financial climate providing a way to update your wardrobe, support local independent businesses AND save lives by donating to charity all in one day- what more could you possibly want (there was also cake before you shout out!)
We got to Banks Mill pretty much as the event opened, expecting it to be a quiet affair at that time, but there was already a great buzz about the place, and plenty of people browsing. The venue did make it a little cosy to walk round, but the atmosphere was so lovely it didn't seem to matter.
As ever there was a lovely array of stalls, selling an eclectic range of goodies, from vintage delights to handmade jewellery. There really was some gorgeous stuff on display. These included Oddly Enough, which featured beautiful goods that are all handmade from odds and ends and are designed by Erica Godfrey. One of my favourite items here were the decorative collars.
There was the brilliantly named Whiffle Pig, a new company comprised of Rachel Pratt and Annie Fielder. This stall instantly grabbed your eye, with a tower of beautifully made owl and cat cushions.
The lovely Emma Blue was selling a whole host of sweet and silly things, from felt dinosaurs to shrinky dink robots, and Tracey Meek had her usual wonderful, whimsical illustrated bits and pieces on display, including cards (our favourite reading 'I love you. Even though your bum smells really bad!') and necklaces.
The Swop, also looked in full swing when we were there, with a great variety of clothes to be swopped, shame we didn't have anything to bring ourselves, as this looked like the most fun!
The event raised over £1000 and we're already looking foward to the next one.