The Hive

17/06/2026

Learn to crochet at The Hive! We have a couple of spaces left on the last beginners' course before September. If you'd like to join us, then drop us a line. We'd love to see you.

Over six weeks, you’ll learn the basics, such as the stitches, pattern reading, increasing and decreasing and how to make a granny square. We’ll aim to spend the final lesson getting you started on your very first project.

**Lessons will be on 22/6, 29/6, 6/7, 13/7, 20/7 & 27/7**

To book: DM , email [email protected], telephone 07970 760910 or visit the shop.

16/06/2026

We're looking forward to this year's Cwmcarnival at Cwmcarn Institute and Village Hall on 27th June! Esme and I have booked a table to sell some handmade goodies!

🎪⏳ THE COUNTDOWN IS ON! ⏳🎪

Behind the scenes at the Institute, preparations for this year's Cwm-carnival are well underway... and it's safe to say things are getting exciting! 🎉

🦆 The ducks are being counted...
🥫 The tins are being stacked...
🎯 The games are being tested...
🎁 The prizes are being organised...
🪙 The pennies are being polished...
🍭 And the carnival magic is starting to come together!

After the huge success of last year's event, we can't wait to welcome everyone back for an even bigger and better day of fun, laughter and community spirit.

Remember, games start from just 50p, so there's plenty of affordable fun for all ages. Whether you're aiming for a prize, challenging your friends, or simply enjoying the atmosphere, there's something for everyone.

Most importantly, every penny raised within the building helps support the Institute. As a registered charity, we are completely self-supporting and rely on events like these to help us continue serving our community.

Keep an eye on our page for more sneak peeks as the big day gets closer...

15/06/2026

Big’un, Aurora, and Emotions delivery from James C Brett this morning! Hope you’re having a good Monday!

12/06/2026

Do you want to learn the skills to make these and more? Come and join us for our next batch of crochet lessons!

Starting on Monday, 22nd June from 2pm until 3.30pm, we have a six week course for beginners. It's £45 per person and while that doesn't include hooks and yarn (which you can buy from us!) it does include handouts showing the basic stitches as well as increasing and decreasing. You'll also receive our granny square pattern, which we'll learn during week five.

If you're interested, then drop us a line. This will be the last crochet course until September, but we'll be back on 1st September for evening classes and 7th September for more day time ones. They are also available to book.

10/06/2026

Yesterday, at our craft session at we made fake stained glass windows. We used a piece of cardboard, a glue gun, tin foil and acrylic markers. These are our practice pieces and next week, we're going bigger 💪

Come and join us between 11am and 1pm on Tuesdays. It's free, you don't need to know what you're doing (we're all making it up together) and we're a lovely bunch!

09/06/2026

Islay and I went on an adventure this weekend and visited DMC in Wakefield. DMC is home of as well as Rowan, Wool and the Gang and Anchor. You can see that Islay was very on brand in her Sirdar Stories jumper, knitted by my lovely mum. Islay's brand loyalty didn't go unnoticed either! (The yarn and pattern are available at The Hive!)

We had a lovely few hours wandering around the showroom, watching a fashion show and chatting to some of the Sirdar team. We were made very welcome and were looked after so well.

Islay loved the fashion show and saw lots of things she needs in her wardrobe. ("Nanny's going to busy when we get back")

We got a good look at the new offerings coming up for autumn/winter 2026 and we think you're going to like them. Well, we certainly hope so because we've ordered a lot of it! So, keep your eyes peeled for lots of beautifully designed patterns and some gorgeous new yarns, arriving from September.

Thank you to the team at DMC and Sirdar, etc for having us. We had a great time!

06/06/2026

What a day!! Tonight, Harley is sleeping in Esme's room because Islay and I are in Yorkshire. We're going to visit our friends, , in the morning, and then we'll call in on some family on the way home.

It's been quite an eventful day. We got to our in Dewsbury this evening to find someone else in our apartment!! They vacated when challenged, but left the room smelling of ci******es and the bed looked used. We also realised that all the rooms had the same key code and the front door may as well have been left unlocked. No adventure with me and Islay ever goes smoothly! (You may have heard tales of us sleeping in a broken down car overnight and catching the wrong bus in Birmingham.)

We've now decamped to the , wandered over to the pub and had a lovely meal with great service. We came back to the hotel to be given a box of chocolates by the lady on reception to cheer us up. So, what could have been a rubbish evening has turned out perfectly.

We're now tucked up in bed with a cuppa, looking forward to more shenanigans tomorrow! Night! ###

05/06/2026

Well, I failed to keep the algorithm happy this week and haven't posted because I've been busy doing stuff.

Anyway, on Wednesday, Islay and I went to check out the new cafe in Cwmcarn, , and it didn't disappoint! Delicious cakes and coffee, beautiful decor and a really lovely welcome await.

Then, we popped down to Rogerstone to visit , which is a gift shop stocked full of gorgeous things. Father's Day was sorted out, and we'll be back for more pressies soon!

So, that's two more lovely small businesses right on our doorstep. Has anyone else visited somewhere new this week? Tell us all about it, and we can share the love!

04/06/2026

I have forgotten my phone, so apologies if anyone is trying to ring me. I have my laptop, so please email ([email protected]) or use Messenger. I also have WhatApp on the laptop, so you can use that too. x

04/06/2026

Apologies, but the shop won't open until 10.20am. Some appointments have overrun.