SANDFORD'S Craft and Gift Fair will take place from 12 noon to 4pm in Sandford Parish Hall on Saturday, November 17 - and it should be the perfect place to go for a delicious home cooked lunch or afternoon tea and to start your Christmas shopping in a bustling, welcoming and yet relaxing atmosphere.

The event is in it's 27th year and the organiser, Bindy Saywood, says: "I hope this year's fair is going to prove to be another amazing event in the local craft diary.

"Many of the stallholders have been coming for years, but as the fair's reputation grows each year, we have new crafters approaching us for stalls." 

As in previous years, there will be bespoke jewellery, wooden gifts, felt makers, pottery and ceramic art and sculpture; photography and cards; textile artists; hand-made and knitted items; garden ornaments; home-made jams, pickles, cakes and foods; honey and beeswax products; handcrafted Christmas gifts and decorations; hand-made soaps and herbal organic skin care – and of course, the hand-made monsters in their little boxes will be back!

Bindy is introducing a new twist this year with "The Young Crafters Corner", which will support and encourage local young craftspeople.

This year will feature home-made gifts from Queen Elizabeth's Academy pupil Keri and also cards and mounted local photographs by 17-year-old Sandford resident Rosie who is fundraising to volunteer with a project supporting street children in Bolivia's capital city La Paz. Rosie will have more information about the charity and her fundraising on her stall.

Whilst many of the stallholders are local artists; skilled crafts people and food producers, others are crafters who build up their stock ready for this event.

One new stall holder this year is local equine and animal artist, Heather Irvine who will have information about commissions alongside her work.

There will also be work by the Stockleigh Pomeroy Lady Crafters'.

The wonderful home cooked lunches, afternoon teas and refreshments will be provided by Friends of Sandford School (FOSS), co-ordinated again this year by Susie Gill.

The raffle is made up of stallholder crafts and gifts and the stage area dedicated to craft activities for the children to spend a bit of pocket money, having fun whilst parents browse the stalls.

All profits raised go to FOSS, where the money is used to support projects within the school which enrich and enhance the children's learning experience.