We Are Altofts

05/12/2025

This Christmas, We Are Altofts and Wakefield Street Kitchen are working together to support local families who are finding things really tough.

Thanks to an incredible donation of brand new toys, we’re making sure children in families facing crisis or struggling this winter still have something special waiting for them under the tree. No judgement. No pressure. Just kindness and community.

If your family could genuinely use a little help this year, we’d love to support you.
We simply need a few details so we can match each child with a suitable gift: age, gender (if relevant), interests, and whether you can collect.

🎁 Request a gift here: https://tinyurl.com/WAAChristmas
📅 Collection: 18 December, 10am to 2pm
📍 Lost Cause Brew Co - Whitwood

Everything you share is confidential, and we’ll do our very best to make sure every child gets a smile this Christmas.

Together, we can make this festive season a little brighter for everyone 🥰

19/11/2025

Our community friends at Friends of Martin Frobisher Infant School (FOMFIS) need your support.

It's their 🎄☃️Christmas Fair ☃️🎄
Thursday 27th November 3.30pm-5pm

They're in need of donations, for their raffle and tombola.

If you can donate anything small or large, please drop off at the school reception or email;

[email protected]

All money raised goes back into the school for the children 🎁🎁🎁 Please share with our community and businesses.

Sending festive spirit to all 🇨🇽❄️

WE NEED YOUR HELP ☺️

We are looking for

⭐️RAFFLE PRIZES - do you own or know someone with a business who could donate a prize or voucher

⭐️TOMBOLA - CHILDRENS & ADULTS

All donations can be handing in at the office or sent in with your child 🎄

21/10/2025

🌾 Scarecrow down? Now what do you do with all that straw? 🌾

If your scarecrow is heading into retirement after a cracking Scarecrow Festival, you might be wondering what to do with the leftover straw. Before you throw it in the bin, there are some brilliant eco-friendly ways to reuse and recycle it:

♻️ Compost it: Straw breaks down really well over time and adds structure to your compost heap.

🌱 Use it as mulch: Pop it around your plants or veg beds to help retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.

🐴 Animal bedding: Local stables and small animal owners might gladly take it off your hands. There are always people on the community pages (Friends of Altofts, New Normy Watch, etc.) looking for bedding, so feel free to offer it up!

🌾 Protect your soil over winter: A layer of straw can help shield bare soil from frosts and heavy rain.

🚫 Please avoid the general waste bin if you can – It’s a natural material that can continue doing good, so it’s much better reused in gardens, compost heaps, or with animals. If all else fails, use your garden waste bin instead of landfill.

If you’ve got straw to give away – or you’re in need of some – drop a comment below and help it find a new home! 💚🌍

19/10/2025

Just checking in on how poor ol' stuffed Father David is doing today St Mary Magdalene, Altofts 🤣🤭

19/10/2025

🌾✨ THANK YOU, ALTOFTS! ✨🌾

What a weekend. Sunshine(ish), smiles, and only a touch of soggy weather at the end of Sunday, but nothing could dampen the spirit of our first ever Altofts Scarecrow Festival 💛

Together, we raised an incredible £1,110, which will make a HUGE difference in helping We Are Altofts put on more community-focused events that bring people together, spark joy, build connection and make our village feel even more like a place of belonging 🌻

From tiny trail-walkers to four-legged explorers, from neighbours chatting to new friendships forming, from cups of tea to pub pints, this weekend reminded us just how special Altofts can be when the community comes out together 🌾

Thank you to our scarecrow makers, our volunteers, our small businesses, our pubs, our visitors and everyone who supported the festival in any way. You filled the village with colour, creativity and heart.

Here’s to more shared moments, more laughter, more connection, and many more community events in the future 💛

This is We Are Altofts. This is our community.

19/10/2025

🎟️ RAFFLE UPDATE! 🎟️

Thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets over the weekend — your support means the world 🌻

Numbers drawn are:
•616-620 Alison Pritchard
•666-670 Julie Holmes
•846-850 Lisa Hambledon
•561-565 Hayley
•566-570 Aaron (Aztec)
•751-755 Craig Atkinson
•791-795 Maz Arnold
•761-765 Yvonne Whiteley
•641-645 Janine Ward
•601-605 Maria Robinson
•571-575 Elaine Freer
•671-675 Steph
•681-690 Natalie Baker
•741-745 Simon Emery
•591-595 Karly Loney
•626-630 Michael Green
•731-735 Claire Toole
•796-800 David Adams

Prize winners will be contacted over the next few days if you left your phone number. If you haven’t heard from us by the end of the week, just pop us a message here on Facebook or Instagram and we’ll check your ticket 🏆

19/10/2025

🧸 NAME THE TEDDY — WINNERS! 🧸

Saturday’s Sandwich Teddy winner:
🥪 “CHEEZY DOES IT”

Sunday’s Giant Crocodile Cushion winner:
🐊 “CROC A DOODLE DO”

We have the winning names and contact numbers and will be contacting you to arrange collection. If you don’t hear from us, just pop us a message 💛

19/10/2025

🌻 EVERY SCARECROW WAS WONDERFUL 🌻

A huge, heartfelt thank you to every single person, family, school, business and group who created a scarecrow for this year’s festival. Whether quirky, funny, spooky, handmade or brilliantly bonkers, your efforts made Altofts come alive 🌾✨

It was so lovely to see people out exploring our village, chatting to neighbours, supporting our small businesses, and discovering corners of Altofts they might not normally wander to. That’s the real magic, not just the scarecrows, but the connections they created 💛

From first-time makers to seasoned creators, you’ve filled the village with joy, character and imagination, and we are so grateful you took part. Every scarecrow made a difference and helped make the weekend unforgettable.

Here’s to creativity, community and many more moments like this 🌻

Thank you, Altofts. You made something truly special.

19/10/2025

🌻 RUNNERS UP! 🌻

With so many incredible scarecrows across the village, the voting was very close. Here are your top five runners up, each receiving a special certificate:

✨ — Minions
✨ — Hungry Caterpillar
✨ — Patience Lane Surgery
✨ — Altofts Hospital
✨ — Feathers McGraw

Brilliant effort from every one of you the standard this year was unreal! We can't wait to see what you all come up with next year! 👏💛

19/10/2025

🌟 YOUR 2025 WINNERS! 🌟

Every scarecrow that entered received votes, which is wonderful - what an amazing response from the village! But, Altofts, these are the creations YOU loved the most… 🏆

🥇 GOLD — “Toy Story”
🥈 SILVER — “Paddington”
🥉 BRONZE — “Up”

Huge congratulations to our top three the creativity, effort and imagination have blown us away 💛

And thank you to everyone who voted and took the time to explore the trails. This really was a community celebration from start to finish 🌾