With a day focused on sustainability, organisers are searching high and low for ‘‘handy folk’’ keen on sharing their skills, from mending a broken vase to fixing a door hinge, or getting rid of stubborn stains.
Co-organiser Barbara Gilchrist said the day, which would be held at the South Canterbury Eco centre next month, was targeted at teaching people to be more eco-conscious.
Mrs Gilchrist owned a pair of socks that her grandmother made her father 50 years ago.
Thanks to continued darning and gentle hand washing, ‘‘they’re still going strong’’.
Without the knowledge passed down from previous generations, she realised those socks would be long gone.
Mrs Gilchrist said the day hoped to teach and inspire people, while saving them money, such as learning how to replace a button on a shirt, instead of having to discard the entire garment.
She felt learning simple skills would help people to ‘‘become more resilient and live a more sustainable life’’.
While Mrs Gilchrist is standing as a candidate for the Green Party, she wanted to reassure people it was not a political event, as she felt learning to reduce rubbish was bipartisan.
Organisers hoped people with skills in light carpentry would emerge from the woodwork, as well as anyone who knew how to mend broken things and fix bikes.
She said all learning would be ‘‘absolutely free’’.
The day was set to take place on September 17, and it would be a family-friendly community event.
With a boot sale planned, if anyone was hoping to sell their wares they could contact Mrs Gilchrist at [email protected]
