We've been looking forward to this since last year's event at Oasis was so much fun. We may not have our Community Hub yet but we won't let that stop us - this year we're bringing the Christmas Fair home to Railway Gardens, and there's a lot of great stuff planned that we want to share with you.
First, the basics!
What: A day of warm and welcoming festive fun!
When: Saturday December 10th, 12pm – 4pm.
Where: Railway Gardens, end of Adeline Street, Splott
Is it free to come in? Definitely!
Do you need volunteers? Yes please! See below
Food and drink
- Things on Toast will be open offering festive specials such as Christmas pud and brandy butter one toast – we’ve even heard a rumour of sprouts on toast! The Toast Shack will also be serving up tea, coffee, hot chocolate and soft drinks, plus you can pick up some toast merch (yes, really!) if you’re looking for a stocking filler for a toast lover.
- Local superstars Mabin Eatery will be providing hot food as well as treats and gifts to take away.
- Urban Vertical will be service some microgreen-based snacks from Signal Box Farm
- The Railway Gardens team will be serving up steaming mulled wine to raise funds for the project – please bring your own cup if you can!
- We’re hoping to have a cake stall but we can only do this with your help! Use the contact form at the bottom of the page to tell us if you plan to bring a cake.
Festive Market
Our focus is on local, independent, and ethical makers – there will be plenty to choose from including…
- Tremorfa Pantry Crafters
- Willows SEC
- Marci and Cecilias Upcycled Crafts
- Recycled plastic jewellery and homewares from Soaring Supersaurus CIC
- Emma-Kate Francis Jewellery
- Flamingo Paperie by Kate
- Crafts by Lis
- Seren Willow
- The Honeycomb Toys
- Pop up boutique charity shop by the SAFE Foundation
- Microgreens from Urban Vertical
- Knitted and crocheted gifts from Wool Witch
- XR’s draught excluders and other rebellious handmade goodies
- Cross stitch and hand made children’s clothes by Gorgeous Franks
- Alice Boswell’s screen prints
- StarGarAllot Garden giveaway
- Gifts for cyclists from Cardiff Cargo Bikes
Things to see and do
Scheduled activities
12:15 – 1:00pm: Carols with Songbirds Choir
12:30 – 1:30pm: Circus Skills with NoFit State
1:30 – 2:15pm: Winter Tales with storyteller Cath Little
2:30 – 3:00pm Music and song with Oasis One World Choir and circus Skills with NoFit State
3:00 – 3:45pm Winter Tales with storyteller Cath Little
All afternoon
- Crafts in the Green Squirrel office: Make kissing bunches with Becca between 12:15 – 2pm and upcycled Christmas cards with Jeanette between 2:15pm and 4pm.
- Make a wire ornament in the Emma Kate Jewellery Workshop
- Make a traditional papercraft with Seren Willow
- Fabric printing with Extinction Rebellion
Toy, book and board game exchange
This is a great chance to have a clearout before Christmas and to pick up some free gifts and treats! You can drop off your items every Wednesday, 10am – 4pm or Saturday, 10 – 12pm between now and December 10th, or you can bring items along on the day. This is a ‘bring what you have, take what you need’ event so everything is free! We do ask everyone to follow a few guidelines when deciding what to bring:
Yes please:
- Working toys with all their parts and pieces
- Clean cuddly toys
- Children’s books
- Jigsaw puzzles with all of their pieces
- Craft sets or supplies in useable condition
- Board games suitable for any age
- Outdoor toys – if it’s something larger (like a play house or a slide) please bring a picture of it with details of when and how it can be collected, or email a picture and details to hannah@greensquirrel.co.uk
No thank you
- Broken, damaged, or dirty items
- Jigsaw puzzles or games with pieces missing
- Magazines
- Used sticker, puzzle or activity books
- Baby equipment (car seats, bottles etc)
- Any items that aren’t toys, children’s books, or board games.
Please don’t leave items outside of our gates as they are likely to get damaged – or we might get in trouble with Cardiff council for flytipping!
Free trees!
We are pleased to be an official distribution hub for the Welsh Government My Tree Our Forest project! This means you can visit us on dates throughout November and December to pick up a free tree sapling for your garden – including the Christmas Fair! Our friendly volunteers will help you choose from ten different tree species to pick the best one for your space.
Could you volunteer at this event?
We need YOU to help make this event a success! Here’s how you can get involved – please us the contact form below to get in touch and tell us how you’re interested in helping.
- Leaflet and poster distributors: We’ll need a hand in the lead up to the event to deliver flyers to local homes and take posters to local venues. You will be able to collect the materials from site and we’ll assign you a manageable group of houses to deliver to.
- Stewards: we need friendly stewards to welcome visitors, help them find out what’s on, answer questions and help us keep the site safe and lovely. You may also be helping out with taking donations, selling mulled wine, or looking after performers as they arrive. You can steward for a two hour slot (12 – 2pm or 2 – 4pm) or for the whole event. No experience is needed and all stewards will get a hot lunch from Things on Toast.
- Set up, pack down volunteers. Could you join us between 10am and 12pm to help set up? This will include putting up decorations and decorating the tree, putting up gazebos, helping providers set up and making the cake stall look lovely! We also need pack down volunteers between 4 – 5pm to reset the site.
- Cake bakers! Could you bake something for the cake stall? Cakes, biscuits, and all baked goods very welcome. If you are planning on bringing a cake please label it with any useful dietary info (dairy free, gluten free, vegan etc)
