Clare Priory Craft Fair

Just a gentle nudge to those crafters whose applications have been accepted for this year's event and who may have forgotten to make their payment: could you please do so as soon as possible and confirm by email? Thank you :-)

Flyers are going out in the next day or so to all accepted exhibitors. As usual we've put as many as we can in each envelope up to the 2nd class weight limit. If anyone needs more please just let us know :-)

We've been told about another Craft Fair which is taking place on 29th June at Pentlow Hall, to raise funds for Pentlow Village Hall and Pentlow Church.

They are looking for craftspeople to be there from 3pm - 7pm, and previously there have been up to two hundred guests.

For more information please contact [email protected]

Please don't contact us, we don't know any more about it, we're just putting the information out there for interested craftspeople. (There is no connection with Clare Priory).

We are pleased to announce that we are now able to receive applications from interested crafters, sorry for the delay. If you have already registered your details with us simply login at https://craftfair.clarepriory.org.uk/entrance.php?page=login and follow the "Apply for this year's Craft Fair" link. SEND NO MONEY at this stage.

(If you have not already registered you will need to do so at https://craftfair.clarepriory.org.uk/entrance.php?page=register before logging in to apply as above).

Please bear with us while we process the applications, we are all volunteers and will get back to you as soon as we can, usually within a few days (occasionally this could be up to about 2 weeks). If we accept your application we will give you payment details at that point, where we ask that you pay promptly.

All proceeds go to a range of local, regional and national charities. Thank you in advance for your support.

Clare Priory Craft Fair Previously our data protection policy said that we will not pass on your details unless required to by law. This can cause problems if/when potential customers want to get in touch with you. Selecting which details you are willing to share allows us to relay this information directly. Please see our...

For those waiting for an announcement about applications for this year's Craft Fair, please bear with us for another week or so, we've been sidetracked by unrelated events which have eaten into our spare time. It's likely to be around the beginning of March when we are able to receive applications. Thank you for your patience and support 🙂

In November we invited representatives of the charities benefitting from this year's Craft Fair to a Presentation Evening at the Priory. Those represented were Addenbrookes Charitable Trust, Cancer Research UK, Cavendish Care, C.L.A.S.P., East Anglian Air Ambulance, East Anglian Children's Hospice, Mary’s Meals, Clare Playing Fields, Reach Foodbank (Haverhill), and St. Nicholas Hospice. Hope For Tomorrow were unable to be present, so a cheque was posted to them. It was a moving occasion hearing how each charity helped those in need❤️

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our supporters, crafters and visitors a very Happy and Healthy Christmas, and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

The 2024 Craft Fair is set to take place on July 13/14, and applications will be open as usual via the website in late February or early March.

Following some network changes the link to our site has changed slightly. Please update your bookmarks to point to https://craftfair.clarepriory.org.uk

We had the pleasure of presenting our prize draw winners with their bottles of champagne at the weekend. The Saturday draw was won by Don Parker from Cavendish, accompanied here by his wife Ann; the Sunday draw was won by Margaret Drake from Great Cornard. Fr. David Middleton OSA conducted the presentations. Thank you to everyone who entered! 🍾🥂

Did anyone order a Mrs &Mrs Gingerbread at the weekend at Clare priory we have lost the chat and your item is ready 😊 x

Visitors flock to ‘special’ craft fair Thousands of visitors once again attended a long-running two-day Craft Fair in Suffolk when it was held last weekend.

Thank you to all the talented craftspeople who took part in this weekend's Craft Fair, and the many visitors who came along to see (and buy 🙂) their work. It was a great weekend! 😀

We had a visit from the local Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service today and they signed up a couple of new recruits. Here they are trying on their uniforms 😀

Coming to the Craft Fair this weekend? There is a FREE Park-and-Ride shuttle service at CO10 8PE: we have a fleet of minibuses (all with disabled facilities and wheelchair lifts) running continuously to deliver you right to the Priory buildings (marked A on the map)
PLEASE DO NOT park on the streets around the Priory or in Clare itself, they are quite narrow and it could cause problems for emergency access if needed. There is NO PEDESTRIAN ACCESS via Ashen Road, and the Park-and-Ride really is very quick, easy and FREE
The only pedestrian access is via the Priory rear gate (marked B on the map)
For those preferring to walk from the FREE Park-and-Ride, the Priory is only a short distance away on foot via Cavendish Road, Market Hill and Maltings Lane, to arrive at the Priory rear gate
SORRY, NO DOGS except for Assistance Dogs; unfortunately for insurance purposes we are unable to admit our canine companions

This information still applies for this year. Entrance fees are £5 adults, £4 seniors. PLEASE use the FREE Park and Ride to avoid congestion on the roads. Clare is a beautiful town, why not have a stroll around while you're here?

Coming to the Craft Fair this weekend? There is a FREE Park-and-Ride shuttle service at CO10 8PE: we have a fleet of minibuses (all with disabled facilities and wheelchair lifts) running continuously to deliver you right to the Priory buildings (marked A on the map)
PLEASE DO NOT park on the streets around the Priory or in Clare itself, they are quite narrow and it could cause problems for emergency access if needed. There is NO PEDESTRIAN ACCESS via Ashen Road, and the Park-and-Ride really is very quick, easy and FREE
The only pedestrian access is via the Priory rear gate (marked B on the map)
For those preferring to walk from the FREE Park-and-Ride, the Priory is only a short distance away on foot via Cavendish Road, Market Hill and Maltings Lane, to arrive at the Priory rear gate
SORRY, NO DOGS except for Assistance Dogs; unfortunately for insurance purposes we are unable to admit our canine companions

The proposed weekend road closure by Anglian Water at CO10 8PE has been postponed. The FREE Park and Ride will be operating as normal :-)

Did you know that goats milk can be used to make soap? Well Goat in a soap do exactly that! Goats Milk Soap is made with 100% raw goats milk, natural oils and shea butter. It is gentle on the skin with a creamy moisturising lather due to the fat content in the milk, which also has gentle exfoliating properties. The soap contains no Parabens or preservatives; it is truly back to nature. Irene Barnett the owner writes:

“For a long time my hands suffered with sore, dry, itchy, cracking skin. After trying many creams, nothing worked. A chance remark about my hands to my niece, Nina in America, who keeps goats, resulted in her sending me some of her Goats Milk Soap. I was amazed at how quickly my hands cleared and softened. Nina and her family taught me how to make her goats milk soap and Goat in a Soap was born!”

If your hands are in need of a pampering, then come and see Irene and her soaps at our craft fair!

Nadine Herrington Porter owns The Moon Up Above. She is a jeweller, but doesn’t see herself as a jeweller in the traditional sense, but more as a sculptor of metal pieces to wear. She also designs and makes beautiful prints. All her work is inspired from her encounters with the natural world. She writes:

“My experience and training has come from a fine art perspective and while I do employ traditional jewellery techniques on occasion, I am more interested in the emotional and spiritual impact of each piece. Does a little bird necklace on a nest make you smile? Do the gulls, stones and waves on a silver brooch take you back to those bucket and spade holidays you loved as a child? Does the texture of my rings evoke that walk in the woods when you examined the deep fissures of the bark on those magnificent oak trees?”

Nadine is looking forward to meeting you all and you seeing her beautiful creations at our craft fair!

Libbi Hutchence owns Handmade at Bramley Cottage. She is a potter and makes all sorts of clever creations from clay. These include things like trinket dishes, vases, wall hangings and seed tags. But her most popular designs are her Facepots which have even appeared on BBC ‘Escape to the Country.’ She writes:

“With pottery it was love at first sight. I craved the calming influence it has on me. There is something very meditative about what I do, it is so therapeutic, the way the wheel spins, pulling up the clay and making something fun and beautiful out of a such a natural material. I love the thought that I am using all of the main elements to create with clay, (clay from the earth, water to lubricate, air to dry the clay, fire to fire the clay). There is a real sense of achievement making something out of such a basic material.”

Why not come and see Libbi at our craft fair!

Another charity Clare Priory Craft Fair will be supporting the year is Mary’s Meals. They provide life-changing school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest communities. The promise of a good meal brings hungry children into the classroom, where they can gain an education and better opportunities for the future. Their meals make it possible for hungry children to come to school and give them the energy they need to concentrate and participate in class. https://www.marysmeals.org/

Gorgeous Gourds is owned by Amanda Rutland. She grows these fruits, which are part of the pumpkin/squash family and turns them into beautiful pieces of art. From sowing the seed, growing the vine, hand-pollinating and nurturing the fruit through to curing, cleaning, drilling, carving, burning, colouring, varnishing and finishing, each piece can take up to 2 years to complete! She writes:

“Gourds can be all different shapes and sizes. I try and make most of my pieces practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. My inspiration mainly comes from the gourd itself, coupled with my imagination and the beauty of the countryside. I specialise mostly in feature lamps and egg holders, but over the years I have tried all kinds of other products, which you can find in the shop.”

Why come and see Amanda’s gourd-geous creations at our craft fair

What’s that smell? I believe it’s the glorious smell of freshly baked bread and patisserie from the friendly loaf bakery! They specialise in slow proved breads, sour dough, patisserie and other tasty treats, using the highest quality flours and ingredients. Why not come and see them at our craft fair!

Based in Suffolk, Sarah Jane Designs is a small family run company established in 2011. They provide high quality, unique, bespoke personalised baby gifts for many occasions such as the birth of a baby, christenings and Christmas. Their bespoke personalisation comes at no extra cost, and they offer this service because they truly believe personalising a gift means so much.
They have a vast collection of gifts on offer, with a product range including personalised directors chairs, luxury personalised bath towels, bespoke baby robes, personalised framed pictures, door hangers and wash bags. Each are made with love and attention.
Come and take a look at what Sarah Jane Designs have to offer at our Craft Fair!

Clare Priory Craft Fair will be supporting a number of different charities this year. The first one is St Nicholas Hospice based in Bury St Edmunds. They provide help, advice and support to people in West Suffolk and Thetford in the final chapters of their life, who are living with long term and life threatening illnesses. https://stnicholashospice.org.uk/

Kristian Payne owns Love Flute. He hand crafts Native American inspired flutes out of a variety of different woods such as Oak, Rowan and Willow to name but a few.

Early native American settlers would hear the sound of this style of flute drifting over the plains at night, hearing the songs of young braves serenading their sweethearts. This is where the name ‘Love flute’ originates. They also serve many other purposes including in the use in healing and prayer.

Why not come and see Kristian at our craft fair, and be inspired by his lifelong passion for Native American culture and the crafting this magical instrument.

Beth Knight works as a printmaking artist and illustrator. She creates original prints using the ‘reduction’ printing method, and is inspired by the local Suffolk scenery and the wilds of Wales where she grew up. She also freelances as a wildlife illustrator. Beth writes:

“Creating and wildlife have been consistent interests and passions from childhood, developing my skills in accurately capturing the natural world from a young age by observing and sketching around my childhood home in Mid Wales”

Beth’s passion for wildlife is reflected in her eco friendly business ethos, seeking to use responsibly sourced and recycled or recyclable materials
wherever possible.

Why not come and see Beth and her beautiful works of art at our craft fair?