ipswich: A scheme based in the town is top of the heap for recycling.

Create, a social enterprise which gives scrap a new lease of life, offers workshops, training and ideas to people working with young children, as well as supplying reused art and craft materials and newly developed Create craft kits.

The eco-friendly enterprise, formerly the Suffolk Scrap Store and based in Scrivener Drive, brought wonderland to life at an early years conference at Ipswich’s Trinity Park earlier this year with inspiring ideas at a Utopian-themed workshop, a competition and an interactive weaving wall made of eco-friendly reused and recycled materials.

It supplied a diverse range of art materials and bespoke goodie bags, and ran a competition to win a trolley of goods from the Create Store at the event, organised by Suffolk County Council for practitioners in the early years pre-school sector.

Children’s book illustrator and designer Bee Willey, who has given her professional support to the project, said their craft ideas had become popular with teachers, play groups, theatre companies and others looking for some fresh thinking.

“Its first role is to employ disadvantaged adults but the thing I think is really good about it is it’s actually offering people opportunities of creativity that they would not necessarily have. It’s offering something that’s disappeared off the high street,” she said.

The newly-branded Create, which was launched in March this year, forms a new addition to early years work, and is offering workshops, training and ideas to people working with young children, as well as being a supplier of re-use art and craft materials and newly developed Create craft kits.

The project supplies surplus items from local businesses and manufacturers that would otherwise go to landfill, for re-use by schools, childminders, playgroups, theatres and art projects. It also provides support, training and employment opportunities for people as part of Suffolk County Council’s Adult and Community Services, with the aim of radically improving employment prospects and rights of people with learning disabilities and disadvantaged groups.

n Visit www.createstore.co.uk for further details or call 01473 601779.

n Have you had benefits from Create? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail evening starletters@eveningstar.co.uk