Bev Ballinger, left, and Val Nixon are preparing for Saturday’s market.
With Christmas just around the corner, the annual Christmas Festival at St Stephen’s Church in Tamahere has begun.
And one of the highlights, a Twilight Market will run from 4pm to 8pm on Saturday.
The festival was started 36 years ago by the late Christine and Rex Pickering, and has been carried on by various volunteers including Val Nixon, Bev Ballinger and Gail Blackwell.
Every Thursday throughout the year about 30 people gather as a craft group to make an assortment of items including wheat bags and knitted objects. All are sold during the festival and proceeds go to the charities Kids First Whanau Centre, True Colours and the Hamilton Combined Christian Food Bank.
“We are all retired women whose mothers taught us things, and we bring those skills together and learn new things,” Ballinger said.
They prefer to upcycle and recycle, and include donated Christmas decorations in their crafts.
St Stephen’s Church also welcomes different schools who sing Christmas carols in the church is led by vicar Sue Burns.
“I personally love seeing the kids sing”, said Nixon.
