Castlemaine CWA will be holding a produce/cake stall on Thursday October 13 at Ray Bradfield Rooms to raise funds to assist them in their work to save discarded clothing from landfill.
CWA members have been busy doing their bit for the environment helping to cut down on clothing going to landfill by repairing or recycling and repurposing clothing that would otherwise end up at the tip. Around 800,000 tons of clothes and fabrics end up in Australian landfills each year.
From 11am on the day the group will be selling cakes and produce, plants, rugs, handmade toys and clothing items which have been saved from landfill, laundered and repaired.
Castlemaine CWA president Allison Nye says the local op shops cannot cope with the amount of donated clothes.
Allison and her associates have been able to take some of the surplus and during their get togethers, have been mending and repairing giving the outcast items new life.
“We have been working on keeping items from landfill thanks to a grant from the council, which has enabled us to purchase a new sewing machine and materials,” Allison said.
The resourceful ladies are only making a small dent in the insurmountable piles of discarded clothing that have been donated to charity shops. These shops end up with trailer loads of clothing bound for the tip.
Every Thursday at 1.30pm you can come along and join Allison and others at Ray Bradfield Rooms Castlemaine to knit, make rag rugs, crochet, sew and mend and connect socially.
Classes are also held once a month on Saturday where anyone is welcome to come along and learn new skills like darning, knitting and sewing. The workshops have been well received with many people joining, including men wanting to know how to darn in order to mend and preserve much loved clothing items from their wardrobe.
“Our skills are in demand and we are delighted to be able to pass on our knowledge to make a difference,” Allison said.
Community members are welcome to donate baked goodies or produce to assist with the fundraiser by dropping these off to the Ray Bradfield Rooms on the morning of Thursday October 13.
You can find out more about the CWA and their community work on their Facebook page CastlemaineCWA
