Banbury-based charity Orinoco, the Oxfordshire Scrapstore, organises community event over Easter holidays

Children take part in the community event organised by the Banbury-based charity Orinoco, the Oxfordshire Scrapstore, over the Easter holidays for people to revamp their clothes. (Submitted photo from the charity)

Banbury-based charity Orinoco, the Oxfordshire Scrapstore, organised a community event over the Easter holidays for people to revamp their clothes.

With the support of Liz Swift, retail liaison manager for Castle Quay and her team, Orinoco created a space to upcycle clothes.

Orinoco, is an independent charity which collects unwanted, good-quality, commercial and domestic objects from businesses and householders to reduce waste and enable children and adults to get creative. They have shops at 15 High Street in Banbury as well as a newly opened store at Templars Square in Oxford.

Sue Smith, the outreach co-ordinator at Orinoco, said: “The skills of our volunteer team as well as the amazing sewing and craft donations we received for re-use meant that children and adults were given the opportunity to upcycle their clothes into unique outfits which might otherwise be thrown away.”

Ted Lyons and Elise Robinson, both aged nine, redesigned tops, had a go on a sewing machine and did their bit for sustainable fashion.

Ted discovered how to sew on a button which contributed to his cub scout activity badge.

Sue Smith added: “I was so impressed with Ted and Elise’s design ideas – the use of colour and interest in upcycling. Hands on making at their age can be the start of skills that can lead into careers in technology, engineering, design and the arts. The resources Orinoco can offer, which would otherwise be thrown away, means you can experiment, make mistakes and get really creative without it costing a fortune.”

A woman takes part in the community event organised by the Banbury-based charity Orinoco, the Oxfordshire Scrapstore, over the Easter holidays for people to revamp their clothes. (Submitted photo from the charity)

Sue Price, of Banbury, knows this very well. Sue brought along outfits bought from local charity shops and with a bit of imagination and beautiful ribbon found in the Orinoco store, created a whole new outfit.

The Orinoco Makerspace was a success in Castle Quay and passers-by remarked that it was a great idea. Orinoco will be returning to Castle Quay with more workshops in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee at the beginning of June.

To find out more about Orinoco, The Oxfordshire Scrapstore in Banbury see their Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/OrinocoBanbury/

See the scrapstore’s website website here: https://orinocoscrapstore.wordpress.com/