Gillingham Handmade

06/06/2026

Just a reminder we have cancelled today due to high winds

05/06/2026

Crafts on the Meadow

CANCELLED

We have taken the difficult decision to cancel Saturday's event on the Town Meadow.

The weather forecast is for high winds which will be dangerous for gazebos, stands and equipment, and we are focused on people's safety.

Emails are being sent to stallholders

02/06/2026

25/05/2026

Apparently we need to have the “AI” conversation.

In 14 years of running this page and promoting handmade fairs, we’ve used AI illustration twice. Twice. Out of thousands of posts celebrating real makers, real skills, real small businesses and real people putting hours of work into what they create.

The irony is that many of the loudest critics of AI are perfectly happy to shop with fast fashion giants, buy mass-produced imports, or support companies pumping out factory-made goods by the millions — while questioning the integrity of independent artists and makers trying to survive.

Handmade is not fast. It’s not cheap to produce. It takes time, skill, experience, failed attempts, materials, late nights and often very little, if any, profit margin. Bespoke work especially cannot compete with £5 throwaway culture, yet makers continue because they care deeply about craftsmanship and originality.

Are there pros and cons to AI? Absolutely. It’s a tool, and like every tool it can be used responsibly or irresponsibly. But reducing an entire community or page to outrage over two illustrations ignores the years of genuine support shown to handmade businesses.

This page has always been — and will continue to be — about supporting creators, artists, crafters and small independents. If we want handmade to survive, maybe the bigger conversation should be about valuing human creativity enough to actually buy from it.

(And yes — this post was written with the help of ChatGPT; apparently we’re all surviving the experience.)

21/05/2026

Magic of Christmas Food and Craft Fair

We are looking for some more foodie stalls for our Magic of Christmas event on 29th November at Riversmeet Active, Gillingham Dorset.

Magic of Christmas Food and Craft Fair
No hot food or drinks to be consumed on site, venue has its own cafe. Donuts are allowed though!

If you would like a stall please email [email protected] or message our page.

20/05/2026

The Gillingham Town meadow is looking particularly lovely now, and we are really looking forward to our free event Crafts on the Meadow. Why not bring a picnic and make a day of it?

19/05/2026

This person is a sh*tty, lowlife thieving scammer. They are emailing some of you directly asking for money for Stourhead. DO NOT EVEN BOTHER READING THEIR EMAIL.
All emails re any of our events come directly from our Gillingham Handmade email.

19/05/2026

Just another reminder.
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS
[email protected]
THEY ARE SCAMMERS

We are the only ones that will be emailing you about our events and asking you to pay us.

Please please do not reply to anyone else or pay anyone else.

If in doubt email us to ask.

Our only email is [email protected]

18/05/2026

Our next event
Crafts on the Meadow
Saturday 6th June. 10-3
Lots of handmade stalls. From crochet, jewellery, children's clothes, cakes, coffee and teas, ice creams, pickles and jams, fabric items and so much more.
Gillingham Carnival team will be providing some children's games and holding a raffle.