By The Woods Crafts and Events | *New* Craft Fayre Newsletter

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🌿 By The Woods Newsletter 🌿

Hello, you lovely lot!

I’ve decided to create a newsletter, including updates and info on some changes coming to our craft fayres. Most of the changes will take place from 2025, but the booking system will have a few changes too and those begin nearer the end of this year.

I know that many of you have been coming to the craft Fayre for many years, and I have the utmost appreciation for your loyalty to By The Woods Craft Fayres. While I don’t want to tread on any toes being the ‘New Management’ and changing things after Amanda running things for so many years, there are a couple of things that I feel need some attention, so I will outline them here…

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Booking

I will take bookings from November as usual, however, I will no longer be taking bookings on the day of the Fayre, as it's not fair to others that might want to book and don't get the opportunity.

From November, you will actively have to contact me to book your required dates that are advertised for next year. These will be available on OUR UPCOMING FAYRES page from

Sunday 24th November @ 10am

So please make a note of this date if you'd like to apply!!

You can do this via the BOOKING FORM page.

These dates will be posted on our Facebook & Instagram pages too.

(Please check links below in - USEFUL LINKS for access to these pages and further information)

Bookings will be on a first come first served basis as usual. If I have more than 3 applications for the same items i.e cards, jewellery, woodwork, resin crafts etc, then the spots will be given to the first 3 that apply. If you apply and others have beaten you to it, I will let you know which dates are available if any, and can put you on the reserves list for unavailable dates requested if you wish, if none are immediately available.

**I will not be held accountable for people missing out on booking tables or not knowing 2025 Fayre dates, when I’ve made this information clear on here and our other social platforms. I will post this info out to everyone to the best of my abilities, in places I know people will see it, as well as informing stall holders at the craft fayres too!! However, if you don’t see this information or the updates and miss out, then I do apologise. I’m trying to reach as many people in the best way possible**

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Tables

From 2025, I will only be allowing one table per stall holder booking, this applies to 4ft tables alongside big ones too (with an exception to the kitchen). This is non negotiable, as I’m trying to open up a little more space for newcomers, or others who’d usually miss out when applying. This will allow a couple of extra spaces for people to book in.

I’d also like to make it clear, that where I place you at the Fayre, is for a reason. I won't be giving out exclusive spots, I’ll pop you where I think you’ll fit best in conjunction with and working around others to make the craft fayre flows nicely. If you request electricity, disabled accessibility or need to be in a certain spot due to health reasons, these will be considered first.

I will always endeavour to keep you all happy and place you where is practical or where you like to be if I can. However, there is a lot I need to take into consideration when doing my table plans for our fayres. As we have new types of creators coming to our fayres, some of them have different needs, which may involve people needing to be moved to a more appropriate spot.

Of course, if I’ve missed something or made a mistake with booking in your placement at the fayre in regards to electricity requirements/disabled access etc, let me know and I will endeavour to rectify it.

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Reserves Lists

Our reserves lists are getting longer, as many more people are applying for the fayre.

I try to be as fair as I can when it comes to the reserves lists, by working down them in order. However, I do often need to take what stalls I currently have booked in at the Fayre into consideration when I need to select from my reserves list - i.e if I have 3-4 stalls booked in that sell cards, or jewellery or woodwork etc, if someone cancels and the next person on the reserves list happens to sell the same items mentioned above, I would need to move down to the next person and so on, if another crops up.

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New Stall Costs For 2025

As you are all aware, the cost of living is going up, which unfortunately means means a rise in cost of the craft Fayre too... it was going to happen eventually!

I myself trade at other craft fayres, as many of you most likely do to and I can say now, that our fayres are incredibly low cost and good value for money, compared to some which charge £25 minimum for a standard table, which in some cases, you have to provide yourself! (I know we charge more for Christmas fayres, but its on a Sunday and the town hall costs way more to hire and even with that, it’s still a decent price!)

I'll be initiating a small price increase for all future fayres... I think its a fair and reasonable price increase, considering there hasn’t been one in quite some time. It’s also still much cheaper than other fayres/markets out there and helps cover the extra costs.

Of course if you’re not happy with this and disagree with the increase,then I'm sorry. If you no longer want to be a part of By The Woods Fayres, or decide to reconsider booking as a first timer with us, then I completely understand and respect you decision.

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New Table Price List

(active from bookings for 2025)

Standard 6ft table x1 = £18

(provided, unless we ask you to bring your in the unlikely instance we don’t have enough!)

Smaller 4ft tables x1 = £9

(provided - subject to availability)

Standard 6ft table @ Chipping Sodbury Christmas Sunday x1 = £28

(provided, unless we ask you to bring your own in the unlikely instance we don’t have enough!)

Chairs, we can provide these too, as we have plenty of those!!

*If we do happen to ask you to bring along your own table, if you have one available, the cost of the pitch will remain the same*

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Side Tables / Freestanding Shelves / Display Units / Signs & Banners

I’ve had a couple of stall holders arrive and set up an extra table alongside the one they’ve paid for, that we hadn’t discussed when the booking was taken. This isn’t practical for me or for you. I need to know exactly what space you need and if you have a smaller table or anything else as a part of your display and are planning on bringing it along, you will both need to pay for this and be placed in a more spacious spot and these spaces are limited.

In future if an extra table or any other apparatus that takes up extra space, is not brought to my attention when booking and and you arrive with it, ready to set up, it will not be allowed!!

I have table plans in place for a reason and if I don’t know that extra apparatus that takes up more space is being brought along, you may not have been put in a practical placement that has enough room, without causing disruption or a health and safety issue.

I will not be rearranging people and tables on the day to cater for something I wasn’t aware of.

I need to know what your bringing, so I can put you somewhere where’s there’s enough room and practical for you and everyone else! Please don't assume that I know what you're bringing just because you had a stall with us before, you may have upgraded your set up!

So please let me know if you’re planning on bringing a rail, a smaller side table, any free standing banners, free standing shelving or display units etc. As I said, I have limited space for these items alongside stalls and can only confirm them if there is a space big enough to cater for them.

The more spacious spots we have available will be handed out on a first come first served basis along with booking. I may still be able to offer you a spot, but you may have to try and make it work with a little less space and condense your stock down I’m afraid.

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Terms & Conditions - REMINDER!!

Most of our T's & C's are already available on the BOOKING T'S & C's page and there really isn't any change there, this is just a reminder of sorts!

I tend to message stall holders a few weeks before the upcoming fayre to collect payment.

Ideally when I send those requests out is when I need those payments to be made or within 7 days of the payment request.

If I don’t hear from you personally to discuss it (i.e. you can’t pay until a certain date, or you’ll sort it at the weekend) OR the payment has failed to be made by the 7 day mark, I will no longer be chasing people with reminders.

I spend far too much time doing this and I want to be clear, that I will automatically look at the next reserve on the list to fill your spot.

As mentioned, I have a lot of reserves and a lot of people who would really appreciate a spot at the Fayre and I won’t hesitate to hand it over to them if you don’t respond!

I understand life gets busy, and messages get read at times when your focus is elsewhere and forgotten or you can’t reply in the moment, and that's absolutely fine, no one is available all the time and nor should you be, but 7 days notice is plenty of time to get back to me and acknowledge the payment request.

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Victorian Day / Chipping Sodbury Christmas Sunday

As many of you are aware, each year we try our best to book our craft Fayre alongside the Victorian Day Market that runs outside. This is obviously an amazing event and to be a part of, as it’s great for all the stall holders at our Fayre due to the huge footfall!

I will continue to do my best to book fayres the same day as this I have the next couple of years of dates booked, so we’re all set for now!

I’m looking to arrange to extend the hours of our Christmas Fayre next December if possible. I know a few people have mentioned they’d be happy to stay an hour longer, as it starts to get busy at the time that we’re packing up and we’ve had to turn people away!

I’m happy to arrange this, but it needs to be a unanimous decision amongst everyone stall holding at the fayre - everyone needs to agree to it for it to work.

I can’t have people heading off at staggered times, as I don’t want empty spaces, especially if we’re going to have extra customers coming through. You will need to be able to commit to that extra hour for the Fayre and extra hour for packing down.

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Change Of Event Name

It’s also been confirmed, that the name of the Fayre held outside will no longer be named ‘Victorian Day’. From here on it’s been re-named ‘Chipping Sodbury Christmas Sunday’ and as far as I know, everything else remains the same r.e set up times / parking etc and this information can be found on the CRAFT FAYRE INFO - STALL HOLDERS page.

I will know more nearer the time and will update you with information for this years event when I have it.

I will confirm once again, that Chipping Sodbury Christmas Sunday and By The Woods Craft & Gift Fayre are both being held on Sunday 1st December 2024.

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Social media / Flyers! / Sharing

I’m hoping to post on our By The Woods Facebook page a little more often and include some pictures and names of upcoming stall holders (with your permission of course) and what you have to sell, so potential customers can see who will be present at the fayres and it helps promote your business too!

We also now have an Instagram page, which again, I’d like to post some of your creations on and help to get you out there more and share the love of crafts!

Once you're booked in for a fayre, please feel free to send me some photos of your favourite crafts, so I can share them on your behalf! Otherwise I'll have to take photos the day of the fayre to use for next time and they may not be the best quality, lighting, composition etc.

You can follow By The Woods over on Instagram here and please do!

www.instagram.com/by.the.woods.craft.fayres

I personally design and print our flyers and any other bits and bobs for the fayre. These are distributed around Chipping Sodbury High St and in a few heavy foot-fall locations in Yate, in the month leading up to the Fayre.

I do share these on Facebook book too, as well as creating events on Facebook, so if you’re able to share them to other group pages or onto your business page / or your own personal page, to help promote our craft Fayre, that would be amazing!

Better still, if you’re able to save the flyer image to print at home, that would be wonderful! Alternatively, just pop me an email and I can send you a copy of the flyer to print off and you can pop it up locally or in your car window or wherever you think it will get the views!!

As well as this, I post in The Boundary and The Voice, two local mini mags, full of adds for the Chipping Sodbury, Yate and surrounding areas. So we have plenty of advertising, but a little extra help from you lovelies would be appreciated.

It’s our little local creative community and I think of it as your Fayre too and you should most definitely be helping to promote yourselves!

You’re all awesome, why wouldn’t you?!

💚

Useful Links

Here are the links to places you can find all the By The Woods Fayres info

Facebook Page

www.facebook.com/Bythewoodscraftsandevents

By The Woods website

www.spanglefish.com/bythewoodscraftsandevents

By The Woods Email address

bythewoodsfayres@hotmail.com

Instagram page