THISTLES WELCOMES THERAPEUTIC SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

– Thistles shopping centre in Stirling welcomes Coorie Creative, a social enterprise specialising in therapeutic weaving classes to those in need –

This weekend Thistles welcomes Coorie Creative, a social enterprise which uses the art of weaving to support those who have experienced trauma, to its central Stirling shopping centre.

Opening on Saturday 21st August and led by Mairi Breslin, a former trauma psychologist, Coorie Creative runs free workshops crafting blankets, scarves and throws alongside its commercial shop where people can buy a range of yarns and equipment for knitting, crochet and weaving.

Located in the Marches entrance of the centre, next to the Stirling train and bus station, Coorie Creative is a fully accessible and inclusive venue catering to everyone.

From Saturday, visitors can head along to take part in their weaving workshops or browse their shop for yarns, looms and pre-made kits.

As well as creating hand woven pieces for participants, Coorie Creative also partners with local charities and creates woven blankets for refugees and those in need, as well as hats for premature babies.

Striving to be as sustainable as possible, Coorie Creative uses a mixture of  recycled materials, such as fine silks and byproducts from weaving mills that would otherwise have no use, and  beautifully hand dyed yarns from small independent dyers.

Providing an opportunity for the local community to get involved with the social enterprise, Coorie Creative operates with five employees and eight to ten volunteers and is always looking to welcome more people to support those in need through weaving.

Mairi Breslin, Founder of Coorie Creative, said: “We are thrilled to be setting up home in Thistles and our new space provides an ideal spot to allow people to discover weaving and the numerous benefits that come alongside the craft. Being situated right next to public transport with fully accessible entrances, Thistles is an ideal place for us to set up shop and get to work.

“After the challenges of the past 18 months and hosting our workshops over zoom, we’re excited to return to what we do best, running our in-person workshops offering people from Stirling and beyond the chance to come along, relax, and learn a new skill.”

Since re-opening fully in-line with lockdown restrictions easing earlier this year, Thistles has seen new retailers setting up shop in the centre, including Blue Inc Clothing and Leading Labels who opened their doors in June. Providing locals and visitors to the centre with a rounded experience, Thistles has also hosted a number of events for families including its Littlest Pet Shop event which ran for the month of July, and its ongoing Wolf Pack kids club.

Gary Turnbull, Centre Director at Thistles, said: “We are delighted to welcome Coorie Creative to the centre and are excited to see what the future holds and how this exciting addition will help those in Stirling and the surrounding area.”

For more information on Thistles, its opening hours, shops and events, visit www.thistlesstirling.com.  For more information on Coorie Creative please visit www.coorie-creative.co.uk.