Bishop’s Stortford crafting businesses The Making Place and The Little Arts Workshop produce home packs for the whole family to do during coronavirus crisis

Suzanne Harding has come up with a crafty idea to keep self-isolating people entertained at home and help her new business weather the coronavirus storm.

The Stansted mum only opened The Making Place, which provides craft workshops, classes and drop-in sessions, at the Peek Business Park in Dunmow Road, Bishop’s Stortford, in October.

She has been busy assembling kits for families to work on together while they have to stay at home due to the pandemic, and she is offering both a delivery and collection service.

So far Suzanne has had orders for suncatchers, kaleidoscopes, cross-stitch, light boxes, felt gnomes, paper flower spring wreaths and felt Easter eggs, with the affordable kits costing between £3 and £10. They can be adapted for all ages so they are suitable for both children and adults.

She will also be putting together kits for quilling, Easter cards, paper cutting and more over the next few months.

“The Making Place was only opened in October, so we’re not well known still. To be able to weather this storm, I needed to come up with another idea to carry on growing the business,” said Suzanne.

“I wanted to be able to continue helping our regular after-school Craft Club children and anyone who would have come to workshops, so decided kits were the way to go.

“If the people of Stortford and the surrounding villages aren’t allowed out, I can deliver crafting to them!”

As The Making Place is small, Suzanne has been able to keep an eye on visitors and cleanliness. She can arrange to be at the unit at a certain time and people can combine collection with their shopping trips.

For deliveries, Suzanne can knock and leave the kits on the doorstep as long as payment has been made. She will be wearing gloves and using hand sanitiser, with the process limiting the amount of contact with the parcel and not putting postmen at risk.

“I had felt gnome kits left over from Christmas and also kaleidoscope kits from the kaleidoscope session during February half term, so I thought I would write some instructions, bag them up, put our label on them and sell them as kits, said Suzanne.

“I imagine a lot of people with mental illness will be struggling right now, being cooped up indoors and with the uncertainty of the future, and crafting is a good way to keep your mind active.”

Go to www.facebook.com/makingplace or makingplace.wixsite.com/makingplace to find out more.

Meanwhile, The Little Arts Workshop is doing its best to help keep little ones entertained during self-isolation by offering home packs.

The Bishop’s Stortford business, which is run by Jessica Townsend-Melton, has had to temporarily close its doors on the Millside Industrial Estate, in Southmill Road, due to the coronavirus crisis.

But Jessica is working hard to produce high-quality kits that can be worked on by children and families stuck indoors, adapting her product line to offer reasonably priced art and craft packs so you can produce colourful creations in your living room.

You can also arrange to collect packs from Jessica, who supported a recent TUBS (Tidy Up Bishop’s Stortford) litter pick by providing teas and coffees, by making an appointment.

Call 07596 159845 or visit www.thelittleartsworkshop.com for more information.