Why Volunteer?
Cody Makers offers weekly community crafting sessions in the Gallery space down at Cody Dock run by crafter-in-residence Abi Bown. With minimal supplies we make art from junk, knit and sew and learn new skills that gladden our hearts and keep us connected.
If you have craft skills and feel you could help Abi with the running of our Cody Maker sessions, then why not volunteer as a Craft Assistant! You can be instrumental in helping others get the most out of their time at Cody Makers. With gentle encouragement and one to one assistance you will be on hand to guide participants through the crafting sessions, developing your own creativity along the way, all in a natural playground next to the River Lea!
COVID-19 Update
Due to the Government’s new COVID-19 guidelines we have had to suspend the Cody Makers workshops for the foreseeable future. We will update this page as soon as they can resume.
Activities
Cody Makers run two sessions on Wednesdays, there is also a drop in craft club workshop most Sundays.
As a Craft Assistant volunteering on these sessions you will be working alongside Abi to help set up the workshop, make prototypes and support makers as they craft. Sessions could include working with fabric, paint, timber, paper or any other material that comes our way!
You should be confident explaining to others the steps to follow in each activity and enjoy working in a group of mixed abilities. Become part of the crafting team and pass on your own skills and ideas to other people.
Find Out More
Cody Maker sessions are on Wednesdays, 10am-1pm and 2pm-4pm. Sundays Workshops run between 11am-3pm.
If you are interested in volunteering as a Craft Assistant email [email protected] or [email protected].
All sessions are run by Abi who believes if she can make things, anyone can make things – all in the spirit of play!
Sunday Workshops
11am – 3pm
Workshop donation: £6 to cover costs.
Sundays are crafty meetups with tea and chat! Come and learn a new skill like knitting and weaving or maybe you’ve always wanted to junk journal or try painting?
These stand alone Sunday workshops are a chance to develop the artist in you and meet like minded crafters. See what’s on offer each month at the Cody Makers Blog.
Contact [email protected] for further details
Sunday Workshop Calendar
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Government’s new COVID-19 guidelines we have had to suspend the Cody Makers workshops for the foreseeable future. We will update this page as soon as they can resume.
Do book up for the Sunday workshops in December – cards, tags and wreaths in time for Christmas!
November 28th
Frost Fair
Join us for festive food & drink and craft workshops!
December 5th
Cards & Tags
Bring your handmade paper – we have card, collage, paint, and all manner of paper craft to make Happy Holiday cards and Tags.
December 12th
No workshop
December 19th
Rag Wreath!
CANCELED
Cody Makers Online
Dive into the Cody Makers Blog to keep up the crafting vibe and see how Cody Dock inspires the makers with its diversity of wildlife, natural colour and textures! Keep up to date with Sunday workshop plans and community crafting events.
Did you know that during lockdown Cody Makers were crafting online? Abi delivered workshops into people’s homes via the internet, inviting them to craft-along with materials they had to hand. Check out some of these ‘how-tos’ on the Cody Dock YouTube channel and learn how to make a bouquet of flowers from plastic bottles or a bird feeder from a milk carton!
Coder Makers Blog
Be sure to keep an eye on the Cody Makers Blog to know what we’ve been up to each month.
Collaboration & Events
Cody Makers celebrated International Picnic Day by the river with a day of crafting! Visitors to Cody Dock could find themselves making Madge Gill inspired necklaces, decorating rainbow birds and painting tiny wooden houses.
After the success of the Picnic Day, Cody Makers were enthusiastic to craft during the Totally Thames festival. Through collage and paint, visitors to the Dock could weave their thoughts about the River Lea into the textile river that Abi had started on an improvised loom. This fabric scrap of river hangs in the Cody Makers gallery space, a fun reminder of a great day!
During Great Big Green Week Cody Makers invited people to ‘keep their clothes out of landfill’ by joining Abi in the gallery to make do and mend. The sewing machine was available to use and Abi crafted Elvis the jumper monkey out of an old jumper as an example of upcycling – he was a hit with the younger visitors!
If you wish to participate in a Cody Makers Wednesday session or join in a Sunday Workshop email [email protected]
The Dock with all its wildlife and heritage is a constant inspiration for Cody Makers. From seeking out the critter and plant of the month on the Cody Makers blog, to observing the changing horizon of buildings and restoration of the dock wall, Cody Dock is our muse.
Why not explore the Dock for yourself? Join one of our Dock Restoration Tours it’s a unique opportunity to witness the process of transforming a once abandoned and neglected place into a community hub and small oasis for wildlife, preserved and looked after by Citizen and Science.
Meet Abi
Abi is our Maker-In-Residence guiding us on our crafting journey. You can find her in the Gallery at Cody Dock every Wednesday and most Sundays.
‘I ran with scissors from an early age, playing with timber, nails and unwanted shoe boxes, painting and fixing the world around me.’
As a grown-up Abi made stuff for Theatre, wrote plays and stories for TV and continues to champion the power of craft and story making. She came to Cody Dock as a volunteer in order to re-wild her brain and build things, then stayed to pass on her enthusiasm to others!
What do you love about Cody Dock?
I love the idea of re-wilding this area of industrial land and restoring the dock brick by brick. It’s very much an adventure playground for a city-kid like me.
What did I want to be when I was growing up?
A scientist doing lots of experiments or a pirate on a big sailing ship.
Favourite thing to do on a sunny day?
Run into the cold sea.
One place I have always wanted to visit?
The Moon. I love the image Earthrise, a photo of the Earth taken from the moon’s surface during the Apollo 8 mission. It makes our home planet look so beautiful.
Top meal
Fresh pasta, fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil. With lots of ground pepper.
Top place to hang out:
The seaside with a prom, a funfair and plenty of junk shops.
Top Exercise:
Jitterbug – dancing to early swing and jazz music, especially live swing bands!