Crowds turn-out for crafty weekend fair at The Base, Greenham

THE Base’s two-week celebration of all things arts and crafts was kickstarted with a weekend fair surrounding the Greenham building where visitors could browse some 40 stalls of creators and makers while enjoying the sounds of live local musicians. Pictures by PHIL CANNINGS

GREENHAM Business Park was bouncing with visitors for the opening weekend of The Base Festival of Arts & Crafts.

The Base kicked off its third annual festival with a fair at the weekend and it was a huge success, with more than 2,000 visitors to the centre, helping to raise funds for the charity.

The launch weekend was a celebration of arts, crafts and artisanal food and drink from local makers and creators and with more than 40 stalls, visitors had the opportunity to talk to the artists, makers and creators.

Inside, the Gallery was filled with work from some 120 local artists showcasing the immense talent the area has to offer.

The exhibition is open daily (10am to 5pm) until Saturday, September 21, and is free to enter (with a suggested donation).

Visitors enjoyed music by live local musicians, organised by Sion Whiley and sponsored by Honesty Group, as well as the smells of Indian street food, wood-fired pizzas and much more.

The Base Gallery manager Steph Johnson said: “This is one of our favourite events at The Base because we get to see so many new and familiar faces coming together to enjoys the arts and everything our vibrant local arts community offers.

“This was the first year we collected donations for The Base charity and we were overwhelmed by how generous some of our visitors were and the kind words that they also shared with us.

“And the festivities aren’t over yet as the exhibition and our wonderful selection of Taster Workshops run until September 21 – so come and be inspired if you weren’t able to make it at the weekend.”

The Base’s Runway Gallery also became a huge chalkboard doodle wall on which visitors could make their mark and you can continue to do so until the end of the festival.

Families were also invited to search for letters all over the building and outside craft market in an arty scavenger hunt and to get creative on The Base’s family craft table making art from foraged natural materials.

Visit thebasegreenham.co.uk for details of taster sessions available.