I’ve never been good at arts and crafts. My memories of Design and Technology classes are filled with last-minute scrambles to turn something in, of being ‘bad’ at making things.
Driving to Leigh Town Hall, I was nervous. I’d signed up for ‘Really Rubbish Weaving’ – the ‘weaving’ bit invoked anxiety.
Liz Chapman leads – here’s your (cardboard) loom, your scrap materials, your duct tape needle. Anxiety remained but then, something magic happened – I was barely thinking at all. Just using my hands, concentrating on the task.
I made a rubbish wall hanging. I was pleased. “I always liken it to when I was first learning to drive,” Liz said. “It took me so long. I had real anxiety around it. I think a lot of people can get stuck in ‘oh my god, I’m not going to be any good at it.’
“I think we can all be victims of our own fear, so my advice to anyone would be to just try it out!”
I’m not good at weaving. But I’m better at giving weaving a go – that’s enough for me.
Sara Royle is a freelance
journalist from Manchester.
She helps make radio shows
happen at the BBC and
writes words for whoever
will let her.