One of the Made in Easterhouse 20:26 activities this year, programmed to mark Platform's 20th birthday, was drop-in skills exchange event MAKE DO and the Easterhouse Almanac launch, which took place earlier this month.
The event was part of Glasgow Climate Week and was curated by artist Rebecca Fraser who also created The Easterhouse Almanac, a new book packed full of useful tips and ideas, The event also launched a new short film Where To? - read more here.
The MAKE DO events have been running at Platform since 2024, supported by Creative Climate Futures, and are free and drop in, ideal for all ages and cover all sorts of activities from flower crown making, knitting tasters, language exchange and clothes swaps, to watercolour painting, letter writing, outdoor play and massages. Free hot rolls and drinks are also served throughout.
We caught up with Rebecca on MAKE DO and the creation of the Easterhouse Almanac…
“Over the past two years MAKE DO has gathered together the people, skills and wisdom found in Easterhouse.
“As the first year of the MAKE DO events came to an end, I began to think of ways that we could collate all our shared learning in one place. A book seemed a natural fit for this - many of our activities hark back to a time of ‘make do and mend’ and this reminded me of an old Good Housekeeping encyclopedia my mum had growing up which I used to look through. A book for all ages to find nuggets of helpful information!”
"It initially felt overwhelming trying to fit in our very eclectic programme into one book- from knitting lessons to solar panel education - and that’s where the idea of an Almanac really helped. Our monthly MAKE DO programme was already responsive to the seasons, from flower crowns in spring to Christmas crafts in winter- so structuring the book into an Almanac created a story of a ‘year in Easterhouse’.
"I made a list of all our MAKE DO activities and then myself and the wonderful designer Valerie Reid slotted them into the right season - often to link with an ancient or traditional celebration day in the Scottish calendar.
"We celebrate so many new ‘days’ in the UK that it was also fun to highlight these too, from National Upcycling Day to Outdoor Classroom Day.
"We have so many gorgeous photos taken by Ashleigh Shula over the past few years at the evet, that they really took centre stage in the design.
"Valerie and myself were keen that the book felt like an heirloom and something that would be passed among a family whether it was to find a pancake recipe or remember how to dry flowers. That’s where the old maps and lunar phases came in - to give it that sense of being rooted in history. There’s also blank pages at the back where families can add their own seasonal ‘life hacks’ and it’s our hope that each book grows with its household, gathering notes of birthdays and anniversaries.
"When we gave the book out to our volunteers on at the May MAKE DO event, it was such a joy to see their reaction to seeing themselves in print! MAKE DO wouldn’t be here without the local people who are willing to share their skills with their friends and neighbours.
"The Easterhouse Almanac celebrates them and the community spirit of MAKE DO."
Read more about the rest of the Made in Easterhouse 20:26 here.
Mix of images by various photographers, Ashleigh Shula and Circular Arts Network (CAN).
