The Place To Be... Weekends at Wallsend

Wallsend is fast becoming the place to be on weekends. Home to the Handmade Markets held on the first Saturday of every month, and the Wallsend Op Shop Trail, run by the Purple Card Project, there is a strong emphasis on community, sustainability, and social inclusiveness.

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Bianca Bartlett, board member of the Wallsend Town Business Association, co-founder of the Purple Card Project and coordinator of the Handmade Markets, is a Wallsend local who loves her community.

“Our markets are quite different to others because they are free for stall holders, and they’re not as large and intimidating,” said Bianca.

“They are subsidised by the Wallsend Town Business Association, which means that if you’re just starting out with a product to sell, there’s minimal risk in testing the market. It not only builds confidence for stall holders, but it means that artisans can safely experiment – which means that a lot of what you can buy at our markets is fresh and unique. You can purchase handcrafted leather handbags, jewellery, resin designs, artworks and lots more.

“In addition, we usually run some kind of workshop at the markets. We’ve had a ‘This is Not Waste’ workshop where people have learnt how to weave textiles destined for landfill in crafts, and last month we had a signing workshop for kids aged 2 to 8. In August, we’ll run an Art Mania Studio Pop-Up where people can create art for free.

Wallsend is the go-to destination for op shopping with an interactive self-guided walking trail available online at www.purplecardproject.org/wallsendop-shop-trail and guided events held every two months.

“The Wallsend Op Shop Trail is part of the Purple Card Project that aims to enable communities to create activities that have a positive environmental impact and include social connectivity,” says Bianca.

“The trail encourages people to reduce, reuse, and recycle, to prevent textiles from ending up in landfill. Our op shops also support a variety of excellent social causes and provide valuable volunteer opportunities for our community.”

If you have a product to sell or a workshop to run, expressions of interest are always welcome at www.tinyurl.com/wowwallsend.