Community craft venture takes shape in Sunderland

A new social enterprise has launched in Sunderland to make creative activities more accessible, providing a dedicated space for workshops, local makers and community groups.

Wear Crafts CIC has been established by Alan and Valerie Dunnighan, the couple behind Mitford Pottery, which operates from the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC).

The pair have taken on a second unit at the business centre to expand their offering beyond pottery, creating opportunities for residents to develop creative skills and connect with others.

Alan, a self-taught potter who was inspired by television programme The Great Pottery Throw Down, originally established Mitford Pottery to share his passion for ceramics.

As the business developed, the couple began exploring ways to introduce a broader range of activities, eventually establishing Wear Crafts as a separate community interest company.

Alan said: “We’d both been thinking about expanding Mitford Pottery, but we wanted to do it in a different way.

“We wanted to offer something a little bit different, something that was more of a general craft offering and gave something back to the local community.

“We had the seeds of the idea and then had a meeting with the BIC, and it all went from there.

“They gave us plenty of advice from the get-go and showed us how we could keep Mitford Pottery going while starting Wear Crafts as two separate entities.”

The venture has secured funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to support its engagement with local residents.

Initial workshops will focus on pottery, glass painting and creative sessions inspired by the popular ‘sip and paint’ concept, with participants able to decorate ceramic or glass pieces.

Further activities are planned as the project develops, alongside dedicated sessions for community groups and people of different ages and abilities.

Alan added: “We thought we’d offer something different, like sip and paint, and as it progresses, we’re going to try and expand that into general craft making, a little bit of fashion jewellery, felt making, wreath making and glass painting.

“It’s like when I started the pottery.

“It was all about giving people access to my passion.

“And that’s the same with Wear Crafts.”

Wear Crafts will also provide opportunities for local makers who have creative skills but lack the facilities, confidence or experience to deliver their own workshops.

Plans include offering shelving space for craftspeople to display and sell their products, helping them reach customers beyond their existing networks.

The social enterprise will initially open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 2pm, with ambitions to extend its hours as more volunteers become involved.

Alan and Valerie are developing Wear Crafts as an initial two-year project, with plans to expand the workshop programme, involve more community groups and support additional local makers.

Alan said: “We’re hoping to keep it quite flexible for the local community to create what they want.

“We want to get people into crafts as much as possible, put more sessions on and have more crafters involved.

“I always wanted to involve the community in some way.

“That’s really what we’re trying to do – create a friendly space where people can come in, have a go, make something and hopefully discover a passion for crafts.”

The venture is also receiving support through the BIC’s Wear Together initiative, part of Sunderland City Council’s Business Support Programme, funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority through its Integrated Settlement.

Reflecting on the support received, Alan added: “The BIC have been fantastic with us ever since we moved here.

“The team really went above and beyond to help us when moving in and have always been there to give us advice and help us since.

“Sometimes you become a little bit unguided on what you’re trying to achieve, and it has been good to be able to bounce things off people who have helped lots of businesses in the past.

“They’ve seen the pitfalls and helped keep us on track with what we wanted to achieve.”

Kirsty McSween, social enterprise adviser at the BIC, welcomed the launch.

She added: “It’s been fantastic to see Alan and Valerie develop the idea for Wear Crafts from those initial conversations into something that can make a real difference in the local community.

“Mitford Pottery has become a much-loved part of the city’s creative community since it opened its doors and we have every confidence Wear Crafts will prove just as big a hit.

“It will be a real asset for the area.”

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