21/08/2026
I had such a wonderful time at Spoonfest this year. To get to participate in the amazing collective energy of all these different folk coming together to share in their weird hobby is such a privilege. The love for spoons is real! But it's also a vehicle for our values, there's so much hope in the act of creativity, and Spoonfest is an event, like a spoon created collectively - it is imperfect but filled with hope. I love that it is actually held in a place called Hope Valley, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The last few days have felt like falling back to reality with a bang, but I won't yield to their poison, nor will I accept that fighting Fascism is divisive, and neither should you. For hope to prevail we have to start by fighting the sense that the rise of Fascism is inevitable, the actions we take do have an impact.
I have been absolutely flabbergasted by the horrific rise in racism and homophobia recently, the far right propaganda has doubled down and the poison spreads but I hope this is in part because they know they are losing their argument.
Now more than ever I need to feel like I am doing something however small towards a better world, I've decided to redirect the funds I generated from my thousand spoon project towards giving free workshops for folk that are underrepresented in our community, DEI is a way to make the world a better place. I will hold these workshops in London, and in the Forest of Dean where I live, I am keen to work with more organisations with experience who could help so do get in touch. I would dearly love to be able to do this at the Bodgers Ball and Spoonfest in 2027 too. Diversity makes us stronger, the vast majority of folk in our crafty community would love there to be more people from more backgrounds represented. I hope that we can make underrepresented folk feel welcomed, by offering free workshops it lets them know we want them there. As we have always done we have free spaces for folk who want to learn to carve but cannot afford to pay. Equitable access is not just about attraction and price points and I want to commit to doing a better job giving fair access in other ways too.
