Over the weekend of November 12-13 it was wonderful to step into a world of festive delights at the Discovery Centre at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. It was like walking into a winter wonderland of handmade treats and finding inspiration for unique Christmas presents.
There were hand-made items including jewellery, ornaments, crafts, cards and wooden delights. The first thing that assailed you as you entered the room were the sights and smells of wreath-making. Scented oranges and foliage enticed one to sign up for a class of making wreaths later in the month. Textiles, homewares and hand-crafted chocolates were just some of the stalls that offered gifts for that someone special.
It was a wonderful start to the festive spirit of Christmas.
Rowan, assistant manager at the Discovery Centre, was really pleased with the event. “The visiting makers, along with our team of staff and volunteers, have put in a huge amount of work to make this weekend a success and the effort has really paid off.”
“The launch of our [the Lime Kiln Café] festive menu was a huge success. We were exceptionally busy, especially on the Sunday and by the end of the day we had completely sold out of our turkey and cranberry sandwiches and mince pies.” commented café manager Kerry Cranage after the busy weekend.
Sylvie Pullen was visiting with her grandson and told me, “I had a really fabulous day. The Christmas Market with its locally-made gifts has been such a treat. There were inspiring creations and the venue set in the beautiful nature reserve made it all very special.”
Susan Price, textile stallholder, said that she felt it had been a great weekend and she met a lot of very interesting people. Her felt-embroidered pictures had been a top seller and she was pleased.
Sales in the retail area of Sussex Wildlife Trust’s flagship visitor centre were brisk across both days but there are still plenty of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve-related calendars, books and gift items available for sale in the coming weeks until Christmas.
Image Credits: Martin bruce , Kathy Crowther , Kt bruce , Kt bruce .