DIY | HFS

Give us a tip

25/08/2018H F Sactivity, affordable, Battle, benefits, Bexhill, charity, cheap, Community, course, day out, DIY, eco, event, exercise, free, Free family events, fun day, Hastings, health, learn, live well, local, low income, low-cost, Rother, saving, sport, St Leonards, talk, thrift, upcycling, wellbeing, workshop

HFS was established 30 years ago this year.

To celebrate our 3 decades of furntiure reuse, HFS is hosting “Thrift Fest” at the Hastings Centre on Saturday 22^nd September, where we will launch a crowd-sourced Thrifty Tips book.

Thrift Fest is a day showcasing way to live a fun-filled, creative, active, rich life without costing the earth. The day will be packed full of activities, workshops and entertainment provided by local community groups, reflecting the ethos of HFS: DIY, reuse, upcycling, sharing practical skills, and being active in the community.

Have you got a thrifty tip to share? Individuals and organisations that successfully submit a Thrifty Tip for the book will be named in print and receive a free copy at Thrift Fest.

Send your ideas to thrifty@hfs.org.uk by the end of August.

The book will be designed and printed locally by HFS supporters. Copies will be available for sale with all proceeds going to the charity.

Don’t forget to order your free book-in-advance tickets for Thrift Fest on 22^nd September!

New Year courses

03/01/2018H F Sadult education, carpentry, course, courses, decorating, DIY, ESA, February 2018, free adult education, free courses, furniture painting, furniture restoration, January 2018, painting, practical, unemployed, universal credit, wallpapering, woodwork, workshop

There’s still time to grab a place on one of our New Year courses.

Whether you fancy trying carpentry for the first time, want to polish up your furniture restoration skills or learn how to put up wallpaper, our courses cover practical skills you can use at home.

We run supportive, friendly, small groups of adults so it’s easy to join in and enjoy the experience.

Read more here and enroll at an HFS store.

Workshop start dates from Jan 2018
Sessions are weekly for 4 weeks unless otherwise stated
Restore: furniture restoration	Weds 10th Jan
Recover: upholstery	Weds 10th Jan
Decorate: wallpapering skills	Thurs 15th Feb
Revamp: paint effects	Thurs 11th Jan
Woodwork: carpentry for beginners	Thurs 11th Jan
Woodwork: advanced carpentry	Weds 14th Feb
Read more here and enroll at an HFS store.

Welcome the WoW van!

31/01/2017H F Scarpentry, charity, craft, DIY, free course, furniture, neighbourhood, repair, social, training, WoW

We’re excited to be launching our ‘Workshop on Wheels’ – making DIY and craft activities accessible to people in a wide range of community venues and neighbourhoods around Hastings and Rother.

The large WoW van has been customised with workbenches and tool cupboards so that our skilled tutors can take the workshop to visit groups of people and provide practical activities such as repairing furniture, making items from scrap wood and craft projects.

Having run workshops and courses at our stores in Hastings and Bexhill for many years, we are excited to have found a way to take some of these activities out into the community so that more people can enjoy taking part without the difficulty or expense of travelling to us.

The positive impact of making activities on health and wellbeing is well documented, and we hope that the small neighbourhood groups will be a great way for people to meet up with their neighbours as well as getting to know new people in their area. Our in-store workshops have taught us that, for many people, making or repairing something for their home is a deeply meaningful activity that increases their confidence and gives them a more positive outlook on life.

The WoW project has been supported by the Hastings and Rother CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group), allowing the workshop sessions to be offered totally free of charge to local residents.

The interior of the WoW van has been kitted out with funds raised by HFS patron Mark Thomas at a pre-gig talk at St Mary’s in the Castle in November last year.

First stops on the WoW van’s journey will be:

Four Courts Community Centre on Stonehouse Drive
Robsack Centre in Bodiam Drive

The workshops will run every Friday at 10am and 1.30pm respectively for four weeks starting from February 10th. Future venues and dates will be added to our workshop calendar throughout the year so watch out for WoW popping up somewhere near you!

To take part, just come and say hello to our team with the WoW van at your nearest location.

Carpentry course starting soon

07/11/2016H F Sadult education, Bexhill, carpentry, course, DIY, free course, fun, making, recycle, tools, training, upcycle, wood, woodwork, workshop

Learn how to use tools safely and make some items from scratch from reused bed-slats. If you have a carpentry project idea in mind, get it done with advice from our expert Ron.

Starts Weds 16th November and runs for 6 weeks 10-1 at HFS Bexhill.

This is a Community Learning course. The fee is £60 but if your household receives means-tested benefits or working tax credits it is FREE.

Click here to read more about our courses