Buy handmade gifts at the Growing Lives Christmas Bazaar
A local Ilkeston project is holding a Christmas Bazaar on Wednesday 27th November between 1.30 and 4pm at Derventio Housing Trust, 1 Grenville Drive, Ilkeston DE7 8HT.
Growing Lives, part of Derventio Housing Trust, runs activities such as gardening, woodwork and cooking to support people to improve their skills, confidence and health.
The Growing Lives Christmas Bazaar will be a chance to find out more about this fantastic project whilst enjoying festive food and drink. There will be lots of handmade craft items and edible gifts for sale, including trugs, tree ornaments and chutneys – perfect for Christmas gifts. Last year many items sold out so it’s worth going early to make sure you don’t miss out.
One person who has benefited from Growing Lives is Malcolm. He had mental health problems and was regularly binge drinking to cope with a bereavement. When he first came to the project he was very quiet and struggled to make eye contact with anyone.
Malcolm spends most of his time at Growing Lives gardening, looking after the chickens and in the workshop. Over time, staff noticed a real change in the way Malcolm interacted with others. He is much more talkative and confident. His mental health has slowly improved and Malcolm now feels in control of his drinking.
He said: “The best thing about Growing Lives has been meeting all the people – people who are on the same level, who you can have a decent conversation and a laugh with. I’ve never been that confident – this has pulled me out of my shell.”
All of the money raised at the Growing Lives Christmas Bazaar will go back to Growing Lives, helping to continue to deliver this essential project for people in Derbyshire. You can find out more about Derventio at www.derventiohousing.com and follow Growing Lives on Facebook www.facebook.com/dhtgrowinglives
