Craft Your Year 2026: Free Community Craft Workshops Across Farnham

Craft Your Year 2026 is New Ashgate Gallery’s free public craft programme, delivered through Farnham’s major civic and seasonal events. As part of Farnham World Craft Town, it brings professional maker-led workshops into public spaces and makes high-quality craft learning accessible to a wide public.

Each session is a hands-on, skill-based drop-in activity. Participants can work with materials, techniques and processes through activities designed for families but rooted in real craft practice. The programme includes heritage and endangered crafts, traditional skills and contemporary making, giving people of all ages the chance to learn, create and take part together.

Running from spring to winter across Farnham’s town calendar, the programme places craft where the community already gathers. It supports intergenerational participation, builds confidence in making and strengthens awareness of Farnham’s role as an internationally recognised centre for craft.

Craft Your Year 2026 also gives heritage skills a strong public presence. Four craft disciplines in the programme are listed on the Heritage Crafts Red List: historic stained-glass window making, hurdle making, rush matting and corn dolly making. These at-risk skills appear across several public sessions, giving participants direct experience of traditional materials, structures and processes while helping keep specialist knowledge in public view.

Alongside these endangered crafts, the programme also includes SPRANG, traditional silk weaving, community weaving linked to Farnham’s wool history, and Japanese calligraphy. Together, these workshops connect local histories with wider craft traditions and balance contemporary public participation with meaningful support for heritage skills.

Participants can return throughout the year to explore different materials: glass, textiles, clay, wood, plant fibres, print and calligraphy. Together, the programme supports skill development, cultural awareness and community connection, while strengthening Farnham’s identity as a World Craft Town.

New Ashgate Gallery delivers the programme in partnership with Farnham Town Council. It is supported by South Street Trust.