Buy handmade crafts and share the love....

Chris Boland ring

Buy Handmade crafts this Christmas! Resist the siren call of the green-eyed consumer monster without turning into Ebernezer Scrooge.

Crafts offer some of the most gorgeous and original gift ideas at any time, from jewellery to toys to gifts for the home. Plus by buying locally you support an artist, boost your local economy and pump energy into your community.

What could be lovelier than buying something unique, handmade and buzzing with authenticity for your nearest and dearest? I think that's what you call a win-win situation.

The North West has many brilliant makers and plenty of places to buy their work. Here are just a few:

Little Northern Contemporary Craft Fair
An off-shoot of the wonderful Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair


The Atkinson, Southport
Their shop sells a range of delightful crafts for all ages

Manchester Craft and Design Centre

The Craft Shop at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool

Blackwell House - Cumbria
Sells lovely crafts in their shop  - all in the setting of a brilliant Arts and Crafts House. Part of Lakeland Arts

Gawthorpe Textiles Collection - Padiham, near Burnley
Reopening after refurbishment in Spring 2016, you can still buy fabulous knitting patterns inspired by the collections online via their Ravlery shop at any time. Great for the crafters in your life!

Harris Museum and Art Gallery,  Preston
Features a selection of small-scale craft pieces in their shop, usually by Preston-based makers


The NW Craft Network aims to promote and strengthen high quality craft in the North West. For more about the Network, click here.

Introducing the North West Craft Network

Touchstones Rochdale, a NW Craft Network member. Photo Vincent James

In 2012, a group of people met to discuss the state of play with contemporary craft in the North West.

Ranging from top galleries and museums to individual makers, arts agencies and advocates, the group set out to see what could be done to strengthen high quality contemporary craft in the region.

Out of this was born the North West Craft Network, a gathering of curators, galleries, museums, Arts organisations, collectors and makers based in the North West of England, UK.

Aside from their involvement in directing and managing museums, galleries and creative businesses, these people can be identified by their huge passion for craft, their desire to see it thrive in the North West, and a willingness to put their considerable energies to work to build a collective identity and health ecology for the sector as a whole in the North West region.

New Glass, Jan-May 2013 at Blackwell House, Cumbria

Once up and running, the group set out to understand the lay of the land with Craft in the sector, and have identified four key areas to explore. Check these out here. In April, we were successful in gaining funding to take some significant first steps.

For more about the North West Craft Network, who is involved and how you can stay connected with what we do, click here.

A boost for contemporary craft in the North West!

• Developing the market for collectors
• Maker development
• Perception and advocacy of the craft sector
• Curatorial development

Four things the North West Craft Network set out to tackle in a recent funding bid that aims to boost the contemporary craft sector in the North West.

We're delighted to tell you that we were successful! Now we have some work to do....

The award, which comes from Arts Council England's Grants for the Arts scheme, will enable the Network to look at four key goals: market development, including developing the collectors market; maker development in the region - improving access to funding, studios, equipment and support; perception and advocacy of the craft sector within the region and curatorial development including critical writing.

The funding will enable us make significant inroads into addressing these issues. We will be organising three events that support maker and curator development as well as employing a part time coordinator to administer these events, help build the Network and support the next stages of the network's activities.

For more about the North West Craft Network, click here.