Meet Trish, our fantastic new upcycling volunteer, who joined us earlier this year to run upcycling workshops with companions – transforming old furniture into bespoke pieces.
Trish has just finished a six-week course with two companions, and we spoke to her to find out how it went:
Can you tell us about yourself and what inspired you to volunteer at Emmaus Bristol?
Having recently retired, with a long history in the voluntary sector, I was looking for an opportunity to volunteer and to further an interest I have in reusing and upcycling. Emmaus Bristol welcomed me to do just that but explained that the ethos of the organisation means they like companions to be involved in any projects like this. I offered to run a weekly workshop, as well as upcycle furniture myself.
I am a keen reuse crafter which means I like to make things out of often discarded objects and materials. I have a strong dislike of old brown furniture but a great enthusiasm to upcycle ugly brown pieces into something appealing to save them from landfill. Some good paint, sanding, transfers and new handles or legs can transform items into a one off, contemporary pieces. Whilst I have a strong crafting, training and facilitation background, I am not an expert in upcycling furniture and the workshops have been about the companions and me learning and sharing our skills together.
Can you give us an overview of the upcycling sessions?
The sessions have been aimed at introducing upcycling, so we covered basic prep, sanding, painting, decoupage and varnishing. At the moment, we are restricted with numbers as the workshop space is small but as the weather improves, we hope to move outside where we can increase the number of companions involved. Also being able to work outside means we can do a lot more sanding on lovely wood pieces!
What materials did you work with during the sessions?
We inherited some chalk paint, but there are much better paints on the market so in future, we hope to invest in some new paint. This will be easier for companions to use and more appealing to customers, as they offer a much better finish.
Did you focus on any specific skills or techniques?
We have run one set of workshops so far, in the morning once a week for six weeks with two companions. As always, the first of anything is a bit of trial and error. The two companions worked on a practice piece each first, that they could keep or gift to someone. I encouraged them to experiment and make as many mistakes as possible with the first piece. This equipped them well for the second item, which was a collaborative piece that went into the shop for sale.
Each six-week session is going to be different, as we have different people and I want to ensure we can personalise the sessions, where possible, to accommodate people’s ideas.
How did the two companions find the workshops?
“The sessions were friendly, feedback was good and there was no pressure. The upcycling course was the best part of the week and therapeutic. It felt empowering and it was nice to learn a new skill for the future.”
I think the companions very much enjoyed the course and I enjoyed seeing their confidence, creativity and skills blossom. I hope the workshops offered new skills that can be used to earn money in the future, giving companions the confidence to try new creative things. Seeing people take pride in something they have created has been the most rewarding part so far. It’s always a great feeling to experience and observe in others. I firmly believe that pride and confidence can be a vital stepping stone into trying other things that might have been previously unimaginable.
