Welcome to The Valley!

For those of you who don’t know us yet, The Valley is the name of our studio in Fishponds from where my partner and I deliver craft workshops for children during the half terms and holidays. Between the two of us, we cover quite a wide range of skills and we are always keen to learn and share new ones.

We run our workshops jointly or individually depending on the craft and the size of the group. The majority of the materials we use are reclaimed and up-cycled and, when necessary, purchased from environmentally friendly sources. You can find some examples of work from previous workshops in our gallery.

A little bit about us:

I, Bea, am Spanish and have been living in the UK since 2011. I have a deep passion for learning and love making all sorts of things: from small-scale crafts like origami to building full-scale houses, and everything in between.
My partner, Huw, is from Bristol and he loves all crafts but is particularly interested in green woodwork. He is a very outdoorsy person and loves gardening and games.

We are both trained Waldorf Teachers and have been working in education since 2014.
We thrive in sharing our skills and enthusiasm with children and supporting them in the process of creating their own unique masterpieces. We are both well-known in our community and have many happy returning customers. We’ve added some of their lovely reviews at the bottom of this page. 
We both have up-to-date DBS clearances and Paediatric First Aid training.

Why crafts?

Crafts are an amazing vehicle to boost confidence and creativity through self-expression. They require a certain level of concentration and patience and are a powerful medium to enhance motor skills and hand-eye coordination. We also become more resilient when faced with the different challenges posed by each craft: the accuracy in origami; the resistance in wood; the airiness in wool, etc.

And there’s also the social element. Crafts, particularly in small groups, present an amazing social opportunity in which the makers can create new connections and express themselves even when they don’t know anyone else in the group. The interactions are even richer when there is a wide range of ages. The craft itself can provide a safe space to be, share and thrive.

Reviews from our crafters and their families:

“We love Bea’s classes. I always know that my child will get to make something wonderful. She is so ambitious for the children and I know that he will feel safe and have lots of fun”.
-Becky-

“I enjoy Bea’s classes. Lots of fun crafts and arts and lovely teachers and lovely food especially the soup!”
-Freddie, 9-

“Bea is absolutely wonderful with the kids and Freddie always comes back really happy, inspired and proud of what he’s created and the new skills he’s learnt”.
-Kim-

“Bea is nice, helpful and kind. And I love going to her workshops because it’s a really fun cosy place where we get to go for walks in the woods, eat yummy food and make cool things, like a wooden train that had a person that bobbed up and down when it moved and also Origami and its never boring!”
-Isla 9-

“My daughter has been going to Bea’s workshops for several years now…
And I’m always amazed at the beautifully crafted things she makes, ranging from pretty advanced woodwork to intricate paper crafts and gorgeous needle felting. It’s such a nice environment for her to be in and she always comes out super content… Thank-you Bea 🙏🏻”
-Anja-