Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire member Yen Yang Co contacted the BOS recently to ask if the BOS could provide some origami supplies for a free drop-in “Origami for Wellbeing” session run at Chipping Norton library, in conjunction with Sally-Anne Moore from Oxfordshire County Council.

The BOS was happy to send him a free box of goodies in the post including 15cm kami paper, BOS leaflets, BOS magazine back issues, simple paper folds booklets for beginners, and model packs left over from our NEC Hobbycraft sessions.

Yen Yang writes “We have now done our first origami workshop at the Chippy Library. Altogether 8 adults (6 females & 2 males) and 10 children (3 girls & 7 boys, mostly under 10) attended. As most of them were beginners, and with the children in mind, I taught them how to make grasshoppers, airplanes, bangers, & waterbombs. The parents were good, quick to learn, and the models were popular with the children too, especially the airplanes, of course. Attached are two photos we took of the session. Michael, with his 2 older children, stayed the longest, and they were the ones who made the triakus octahedron, with 12 squares cut from A3 paper. Before that they made the ladybirds, penguins, waterbombs, & square boxes. They came at the start (1pm) & were the last to leave at about 3.40pm. So, from set up to end, including clearing up & cleaning, it was in total a 4-hour session for us. On top of that, there were the preparations, and I had
over prepared myself, because I didn’t know how many would turn up.”

The workshop was on a Thursday, when the library is normally closed, but Sally wanted to do it as a special event. Sally   wrote, ‘the participants enjoyed it and it’s really good for the library too.’ Sally & I thought the number of attendees
was just right for the size of the library, and the best format was when I showed them round the table how to make the
models.”

Yen Yang said more workshops are planned in the future, and ideas for future sessions include taking bookings for a small
group, putting some back issue magazines in the library’s “Magazine Swap” box, and models to display & give away.

If you are running a community event or public workshop etc, and would like some origami supplies to use at the event, please consider making use of our stock of surplus resources courtesy of the Robert Harbin Fund. See https://www.britishorigami.org/the-society/public-information/
for more information on the Robert Harbin Fund, what it covers, how to apply, and how to donate
to the fund.