From An Ossett Original.

Hello, my name is Sharon and I’m a guest blogger for Ossett Observer. I’m also a local resident, a school governor, an administrator and a creative practitioner. I’m proud to be involved with this project and its aims and objectives. My connection to newspapers goes back to my birth. My grandparents owned a newspaper shop in Leeds, I was born at this shop. I was very happy there, they sold sweets as well as newspapers and all the regulars made a fuss of me. Heaven some might say, but times were hard and they moved away from the shop to the outskirts of Wakefield and took up residence in a farm labourer’s cottage with an attached small-holding. On the land they kept chickens, pigs, and a cantankerous old billy goat. They were very resourceful and grew fruit and vegetables too, anything surplus was announced for sale via a blackboard at the bottom of the drive. I am thankful that I experienced all those things, they have helped shape who I am today.

Our town’s motto is glorious – Inutile Utile Ex Arte – which translates as ‘That which is useless made useful through art’. The Creative Swap Shop which takes place in the marketplace on the 30th June will celebrate the skills of local residents and of course those from further afield who are prepared to Flock to Ossett. People of all ages and skills are invited to: make, bake, craft, knit, write, sew, weld, snap, sing, print, weave, animate, draw, crochet (I could go on… the possibilities are endless.) Bring along a creative contribution, and swap it for another. Nice and easy. Not one penny shall be exchanged, only the fruits of the swapper’s labours. So get stuck in, bring your swap, and a smile. You’re bound to meet new people, perhaps discover something you never knew before, but you’ll definitely take away an ‘Ossett Original’. Look for the huge sign in the marketplace and get swapping! Watch out for the #ossettoriginal hashtag on Twitter too.