Early in the year the members of Jan’s Patchwork Group out of Anna Bay had the notion of holding a craft fair, having been inspired by a recent visit to a similar event in the Hunter Valley.

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“On the car ride on the way back I just said: ‘We should do this’,” said Jan Hall, the coordinator of the group.

Over a weekend in April, the group opened the hall of their host – Gateway Presbyterian Church – to display their craft-work alongside contributions from the Port Stephens Men’s Shed, local artists and other individuals who were keen to contribute.

The fair was a rousing success for the group, but much more so for the true beneficiaries of the event – notable Port Stephens charity the Yacaaba Centre.

“Each year we choose a charity to support and do a little fundraising,” said member Colleen Maloy.

“This year we wanted to see if we could upscale that a bit.”

That is exactly what the group accomplished through the entry fees and sales at their show, along with their more targeted ‘Hands for Yacaaba’ initiative.

Members of the group crafted a series of hands in different colours which would later be attached to bunting.

The hands would represent individuals and businesses in Port Stephens who wished to contribute financially towards the work of the Yacaaba Centre.

Upon making a donation, a hand was decorated with the contributor’s name.

Upon competition, the intention was to present the bunting to the Yacaaba Centre along with the donated funds.

The presentation was finally made on Friday 21 June at one of the group’s weekly crafting sessions, as Yacaaba director Louise Simpson joined the ladies for a while.

“Once again we’re humbled by the community and by these ladies who have been able to pull this funding together,” said Louise, following the presentation of a cheque for $6800.

“Considering that we have had to fundraise for half of our service in the last twelve months and we’re busy applying for grants, we’ll have to continue that over the next year, with no long term funding being committed at this stage.

“We’re hoping for that to change in the future, but for now this is really important to being able to maintain our services.

“It’s amazing, really great community support, and we appreciate it.”

By Lindsay HALL