This autumn we started work with a number of departments in Carmarthenshire Council Youth Services.

A group of year 9/10 pupils on the S.M.A.R.T. project (a wider curriculum programme for those not in formal education) spent six mornings in our new craft workshop making a mosaic topped table for their base at Dr MZ and a bird table for a local residential home.

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Youth First’ (a European Social Fund Programme to extend entitlement to young people aged 11-25) also brought a group who wanted to make something for the community. In a brainstorming session they decided to make brightly coloured tissue/willow sculptures for the sensory room in the unit at their school, (Queen Elizabeth High) and a bird table to put outside the window.

We are now actively looking to build up our excellent team of volunteers, particularly with work in our warehouse, the maintenance of our databases and the development of our website.

Thanks (again) to a grant from Carmarthenshire Childrens Partnership we arebuying an Acucut machine; a device which Members can use here at Trysordy, to cut out a variety of shapes from materials found in the Scrapstore…..for craft projects and decorations.

Scrap Packs have been recently developed as an extension of our ‘Bright Ideas’ activity leaflets and make ideal little gifts. They contain everything you need to make a particular creative project e.g. Christmas angels, pop–up puppets, block printing and dream catchers. They are sourced entirely from the scrapstore, including the packaging and are on sale for £1.50.

Students from Coleg Sir Gar in Llanelli studying Level 1 Art, Design and Media were responsible for putting the packs of ingredients together; an activity which will count towards gaining their Welsh Baccalaureate qualification.

Students from Coleg Sir in Llanelli studying the BTEC First Diploma in Art, Design and Media visited soon after, and came up their own ideas for new Scrap packs, which they then designed and developed themselves. This work will also count towards gaining their Welsh Baccalaureate qualification.

You are warmly invited to our first Annual Open Day, on Saturday October 4th, from 10am to 4pm. This is an opportunity for you to drop in, look around, meet the directors and

• let us know what you think about Trysordy 
• suggest any improvements to our current services or new things you would like to see us doing
• hear about our up-and-coming plans
• learn how to make Artists’ Charcoal (DVD and practical demonstration)
• make something fun out of Scrap Materials to take home

Nature Games outside weather permitting.

Children are welcome, under accompanying parent or carer supervision. Free Light Refreshments will be provided.

We are thrilled that membership has now topped 400, roughly split between organisations and individuals or families. And thanks to recent multiswap events with other scrapstores hosted by Gloucester and Bristol, the variety of things we now offer has grown significantly. So much so that we have opened up a third display area. To get an idea what is now in stock, with colour pictures, click on “What you’ll find at Trysordy”.

Thanks (again) to a grant from Carmarthenshire Childrens Partnership, we have bought a Badge Maker. This is the first of a range of equipment we hope to acquire over the next 18 months for members to hire at minimal cost. Parachutes and Circus skills equipment will be next.

Thanks to a grant from Carmarthenshire Childrens Partnership we have started up a free Lending Libraries for all members. The books give practical guidance on using a wide range of arts and crafts materials and environmental education issues, particularly the reuse of materials. Some books are aimed at teachers developing their own resource.

material for teaching, others are for carers and parents to use directly with children. Up to 2 books may be taken out at a time, and may be held for 3 weeks.

Part of the wonder of working at Trysordy is being able to let your imagination run riot with the Scrap Materials and turn wild ideas into something real. Even if you have never done anything like it before …but you feel this is something you might enjoy doing for a few hours on a Thursday or Saturday, then we would love to hear from you.

A large circular wooden bench has been donated to the Primary School in Johnstown. The bench was made at Trysordy during private vocational training sessions by a number of fully supervised individuals serving Probation orders, as part of their rehabilitation programmes

From mid February, we will have a basic range of items; starting off with Water based Paint, Acrylic Paint, Paint Brushes, Glitter Paint. Kids Glue, Clay and Scissors. Other items will follow, and we will try and respond to requests from members when possible to stock items that they have trouble finding locally.

Since opening for members to join and buy scrap materials at the end of October 2007, over 160 different members have joined…..including students, families, schools, guides, nurseries, craftspeople and colleges. Quite a few have back again already, some more than once.

We have over 200 items now in Stock. Latest additions are Rolls of Carpet at £1 per sq metre and Large (120litre) Blue Plastic Barrels with Lids £6.50. We are now dealing with over 30 business suppliers across Dyfed. But to get the volume and variety we need,  we periodically swap a few items of which we have an excess supply, with other Scrapstores.We have already begun “one-to-one swaps” with Cardiff, Ebbw Vale and Swansea Scrapstores…..but twice a year we are going to join in “multiswaps”. This is when 20 or so Scrapstores from all over the UK each bring a large van full of scrap and meet to swap amongst each other (no money changes hands). The nearest good “multiswaps” seem to be Portsmouth in July and Exeter in mid February. So, by the end of this month we hope to have a lot more new items out on display.

For a full list of Scrap Materials we currently have in Stock, click on “What you will find at Trysordy” 

By the end of April 2008, Trysordy will have 4 separate training spaces available for members to hire……for delivering workshops, holding meetings and exhibitions.

In addition to the existing large meeting room (with its range of audio visual equipment), a well equipped kitchen will be ready later this month for teaching cooking skills and developing nutritional knowledge; a large garden with raised beds, polytunnel and clay oven is well underway and building work on a customised craft workshop area is just about to start.

Trysordy has at last opened its doors for people to come along, become members and then be able to buy a wide range of unusual materials, at very low prices…….on Thursdays and Saturdays.

We currently have in stock sticky back plastic in many colours, drums, paints, silver paper, gold and silver card, cardboard tubes, bags, trays, pipe, reels, cotton covers, wood offcuts from picture framing, braid, elastic, fake fur,wedding veil material, leather, sheepskin, netting, PVC, ribbon, vinyl, sailcloth, silk, window blind material, carpet tiles, cork, foam rubber, lino, ceramic tiles, foil, buttons, rope, wire, birthday and christmas wrapping paper, folders, tinsel, football lampshades, sticky labels, rip stop nylon, gold stars, plastic cones, cardboard ice cream tubs and cartons, coloured thick plastic flowerpots, hollow coloured plastic balls, cotton fabric rolls, greeting cards, overalls and small coloured plastic beads.

Shop Manager for the Scrapstore

(£6,600 – £7,875 p.a. for a 2 day week, Thursdays and Saturdays)

Unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, new Re-use Resource Centre in Johnstown, Carmarthen; that provides members with new play & creativity opportunities, hobby & vocational skills as well as resources to put on community events.

Trysordy is a not-for-profit social enterprise, serving communities in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire; and the first Community Interest Company in mid and west Wales.

The successful applicant’s main responsibilities will be shop sales (mainly a wide range of clean safe materials businesses throw away, arts/craft supplies and hire equipment), shop displays and relations with members who use the shop. It is hoped that the post will grow to at least 3 days paid work within 12 months.

For an informal chat or application pack, contact Jonathan or Wendy on Tel:01267-231980 or email info@trysordy.org.uk. Closing date for applications November 16^th 2007.

For more general information about Trysordy, visit our website http://www.trysordy.org.uk/

Rheolwr Siop Sgrap

(£6,600 – £7, 875 y flwyddyn, wythnos dau ddiwrnod, dydd Iau a dydd Sadwrn)

Cyfle unigryw i ddod yn rhan o Ganolfan Ailddefnyddio Adnoddau newydd a blaengar yn Nhre Ioan, Caerfyrddin; mae’n darparu aelodau gyda chyfleoedd chwarae a chreadigrwydd newydd, diddordeb a sgiliau galwedigaethol yn ogystal ag adnoddau i gynnal digwyddiadau cymunedol.

Menter gymdeithasol di-elw yw Trysordy, yn gwasanaethu cymunedau yn Sir Gâr, Ceredigion a Sir Benfro; Cwmni Buddiannau Cymunedol cyntaf canolbarth a gorllewin Cymru.

Prif gyfrifoldebau’r ymgeisydd llwyddiannus fydd gwerthu deunyddiau yn y siop (amrywiaeth o ddeunyddiau glân a diogel sydd wedi’u gwaredu gan fusnesau, nwyddau celf a chrefft ac offer i’w llogi, ar y mwyaf), arddangosiadau yn y siop a chreu cysylltiadau gydag aelodau sy’n defnyddio’r siop.  Gobeithiwn ehangu’r swydd i fod yn 3 diwrnod o waith taledig o fewn 12 mis.

Am sgwrs anffurfiol neu becyn cais, cysylltwch â Jonathan neu Wendy drwy ffonio 01267 231 980 neu e-bost info@trysordy.org.uk. Dyddiad cau’r ceisiadau yw Tachwedd 16^fed 2007. Gweler gwybodaeth gyffredinol am Trysordy ar ein gwefan http://www.trysordy.org.uk/

Trsyordy will start start to offer a wide range of clean safe materials (that business throw away) at very low cost from the first day of the Autumn half-term onwards…..Saturday October 27th.

Click on “Opening Times” for more details

Building work is now scheduled to start on the new Kitchen (mainly for vocational training purposes) in August 2007

Carmarthenshire Association for Voluntary Services have generously agreed to give us £1000 towards the purchase of tools that will support and enhance our vocational training programmes

The first monthly workshops (on saturdays) will begin in September 2007; based around using willow together with waste materials to make seasonally decorative and functional items…..from christmas decorations, valentine hearts and easter baskets, to garden structures and sculptures.

Click on the “Events and Courses” section for more details.

We have been out and about at Carmarthenshire Festivals in July, running creative activity play areas using waste materials……first at the Heart of the Dragon Festival in Newcastle Emlyn where we also unveiled a new dragon that we built (commissioned by the organisers to stand gaurd over the Dragon’s egg that hatched out on the final day) …..then more recently at the Small Nations Festival, close to Llandovery. Pictures will appear shortly in the Events and Courses section.

If you didn’t catch us in July, come and see us at the Eco-Festival at Rhyhowell Farm outside Boncath Pembrokeshire on September 8th

I am so pleased to tell you that the first phase of converting a 4000 sq ft disused barn on the outskirts of Carmarthen into Trysordy’s Reuse Resource Centre is now complete! It has been a long hard journey……..three and a half years in fact!

While we will start providing materials for Creativity and Play later in the year, we already have some services up and running right now………….  in particular, hiring out our large training room and standard meeting room facilities.

Being set in quiet open countryside, but less than 5 minutes from the A40 dual carriageway, with parking just outside for 20 cars……we hope the rooms will prove popular, both with individuals and all kinds of organisation.

If you would like to know more about the rooms, click on the Membership, Prices and Services section on the left hand side.