Stendhal Community

09/12/2025

Thank You for Supporting Gift A Hug!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who took part in our Gift A Hug appeal this year, delivered through the Limavady Community Development Initiative - LCDI Toy Appeal. Your creativity and community spirit have helped bring comfort to children across Limavady this Christmas.❤️🎅🎄

We would also like to extend a special thank you to Lisa at Row by Roe for her invaluable support throughout the project. Her help in hosting our drop-off point and championing the appeal has been greatly appreciated.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. 🎄✨

02/12/2025

Hope everyone is enjoying their Winter Stitch Packs!

We’d love to see what you’re stitching; whether it’s a work in progress or a finished piece! Share your cosy creations with us by tagging your posts or stories @ Stendhal Community . 🌲❤️✨

29/11/2025

⏰ FINAL CALL FOR HUGS!
We’re in the last stretch of our Gift a Hug toy-making project. If you’re finishing up your knitted friends, now’s the time to stitch those last little details!

All handmade toys for the LCDI Toy Appeal must be dropped off at Row by Roe Wool Shop, Main Street, Limavady, by December 5th.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part — your creativity and kindness will brighten a child’s Christmas more than you know. ❤️🎄
Let’s make this final week count!

26/11/2025

This week, Stendhal Community delivered our Winter Stitch Packs to care homes across Limavady including Edenvale, Thackeray Place, Cornfield and to the LCDI Social Supermarket! ❄

These packs are part of our commitment to creative inclusion , making sure that housebound, older, and isolated members of our community can take part in creative activity from the comfort of home.

Each pack includes simple crochet materials and an invitation to join our growing network of makers.

A huge thank you to the staff and volunteers who helped us distribute the packs, and to everyone who’s already excited to get stitching.

If you’d like to follow along or share what you make, join the Limavady Yarnbombers community online; 126 members and growing!

Creativity connects us, wherever we are.

Thank you to Arts Council of Northern Ireland for their continued funding support and toRow by Roe for taking the time to get the packs together.

24/11/2025

🎁 Need wool or stuffing to get started?
We still have a limited supply available for anyone taking part in the Gift a Hug project! Just send us a message and we’ll sort you out.

Whether you use the free teddy pattern or create your own adorable design, remember:
👉 For toys intended for infants or toddlers, avoid safety eyes, buttons or anything that could be pulled off — stitched features only!

Let’s fill the Toy Appeal with the softest, squishiest kindness this year. 💛
Deadline: December 5th at Row by Roe Wool Shop, Limavady.

18/11/2025

The stitches of kindness are already growing!
Thank you to everyone who has picked up their needles for Gift a Hug this year — we’re loving the enthusiasm!

There’s still plenty of time to join in. Knit or crochet a small toy to be donated to the LCDI Toy Appeal, helping bring comfort and joy to local children this Christmas. ❤️

Download the bear pattern here or choose your own creative design:
https://knittingbypost.com/.../free-tiny-bear-knitting.../
Every handmade hug counts. Drop off your finished toys at Row by Roe Wool Shop, Main Street, Limavady, by December 5th. 🧶🎁

10/11/2025

GIFT A HUG IS BACK!!
Join us again in creating handmade toys that will bring joy to children this Christmas through the LCDI Toy Appeal! 🎁❤️
Start knitting now! We're aiming to collect all the beautiful creations by December 5th.
How to Participate:
1. Pick up your knitting needles!
2.Download the pattern provided by copying the link here:
https://knittingbypost.com/i/free-tiny-bear-knitting-pattern/
OR choose you favourite toy pattern OR use your own creativity. (we advise that any toy designed for infants, teething children, toddlers or those who routinely place items in their mouths should avoid the use of safety eyes or noses, craft eyes or noses, buttons and any other applied feature than might be pulled free and ingested. Use love stitches instead X X )
3. We have a limited amount of free wool and stuffing but please message if you require some.
4.Drop off your finished toys at Row by Roe Wool shop, Main Street, Limavady by December 5th.

24/10/2025

From kitchen-table makes to festival-site magic—thank you, Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council, for your continued support of our community projects.

Your backing helps us deliver free/low-cost workshops, inclusive creative spaces, youth sessions, rural outreach, and sustainable projects like ReFest; all made with and for our community. 💛

Because of you, more people can learn, create, connect, and see their work celebrated on the big stage.
We are so grateful for the partnership. Thank you 😃

21/10/2025

Belated but worth the share! 🙌 In June, we delivered ReFest—a series of 3 sustainable decoration workshops creating upcycled bunting, banners & signage for Stendhal Festival.

Participants of mixed ages cut and stitched colourful bunting from reclaimed fabrics and helped paint (and repaint) signage for the festival site. Led by local artist Becca Allen, the workshops focus on skills development by teaching participants practical and creative techniques such as upcycling, painting and sustainable crafting.

Huge thanks to for supporting this community-led, eco-focused programme.

01/09/2025

*FREE SEED COLLECTION WORKSHOP* in partnership with Magilligan Tree Nursery and Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust.

Join us at the beautiful rural site of the Stendhal festival on Ballmully farm to and hear about the nature and environment through the PEACEPLUS programme we are delivering on behalf of CCGBC. Learn how to identify native tree and hedgerow species and methods of seed collection, before taking our harvest back to the farm for a practical workshop on how to process and store seed. FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH 10AM - 2PM

Please bring your own packed lunch/snacks and something to drink. Tea, coffee and treats will be provided.

To sign up click on the image below and fill out the eventbrite form.

Join Magilligan Tree Nursery for a morning of seed collection and processing on the grounds of Stendhal festval site.

09/08/2025

Get involved

Calling all Leitrim and Derry musicians and bands...

Songlines is a cross-border music development and performance project supporting both emerging and established singer-songwriters and bands from Leitrim and Derry that have yet to reach a mass audience. The project is part of Leitrim County Council’s Creative Ireland Programme with The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton and Nerve Centre, Derry with funding from the Creativity on a Shared Island Programme. Through expert-led training, creative collaboration, and showcasing, Songlines equips artists with the skills and supports to build sustainable careers.

See https://ecs.page.link/zrmWx for more info and how to get involved

01/08/2025

Our sister festival is looking for artists

We’re Looking for Inclusive Artists!

For the upcoming ArtAbyss Children’s Festival 2026, we're excited to invite applications from artists who specialise in inclusive practices. We’re seeking creatives who are passionate about making art accessible to children of all abilities, backgrounds, and experiences, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
If you have experience in leading workshops or performances that ensure every child has a voice and space to create, we’d love to hear from you!
What we’re looking for:
Artists with expertise in adapting activities for diverse groups.

Experience working with children from marginalized or underrepresented communities.

A commitment to creating safe, supportive environments where every child can engage and express themselves.

How to apply:
Send us a brief portfolio or description of your previous inclusive work and how you would engage children in your art practice to [email protected]
Let’s make ArtAbyss 2026 a festival where creativity has no limits!