Cheadle Craft Community Hub & A Child of Mine: An Inspired Project to Honour Staffordshire's Departed Children
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
We recently met with Vicky at the Craft Community Hub on Chapel Street, Cheadle, to learn more about an inspiring butterfly project they have been working on.
Vicky told our reporter that they had been working with Child of Mine, who support bereaved parents, siblings, and other family members. They support people from a miscarriage all the way up to 18 through whatever kind of trauma and loss a family can experience. They are organizing a memorial day in Stafford at St Mary's Church with 2,557 butterflies, each butterfly representing a baby or child that has passed away in Staffordshire alone in the last 12 months. A big part of that number is through miscarriages that have been reported; many go unreported.
The Hub is currently putting together a display in their window to support the Stafford display and the many people affected by this type of loss. The response from the knitting & crafting community was huge - two and a half thousand butterflies were collected within a few days, massively more than they expected. The original estimate was about 500, but when it was properly calculated, it came out at 2,557. The response the group received from the craft community was about 4,300 butterflies sent in from many areas across the UK, from Scotland to Cornwall.
The response was both overwhelming and humbling; they were being posted based on an appeal which went out on Facebook and spread via parents who were part of Child of Mine.
The Hub took in over 1,100 from Cheadle alone just through word of mouth. People came in to drop off their creations; a lady came from Leek Library Knit and Natter Group, and another from Newcastle-under-Lyme with butterflies from friends and family. One young girl discovered the project whilst visiting the hub and then came back a few days later with a handful of butterflies she'd created while she was in the process of preparing for her GCSEs. Every butterfly has its own story attached and is uniquely created; this project has real gravitas with many, many people.
It's a story in each stitch and has impacted not only those people with a recent loss but also those who lost a child even decades ago. You never forget them, even if you didn't get to meet them or name them.
About the Craft Hub
The Craft Community Hub has a wonderful mix of about 25 different crafters' work available for purchase in the Chapel Street store, with the hub providing a retail space for many people whose work would not otherwise be easily seen. Vicky told us that they have everything from jewellery to wood turning, laser slates to knitted dolls, and even crocheted clothing.
Vicky described her business model as an umbrella name where they have numerous other businesses on the premises, and they operate it for them. They have been on Chapel Street since October 2024, originally starting in the Cheadle Market. When the market closed, she and another crafter from the market moved in to the premises on Chapel Street together. They partner has since moved on, and Vicky has built the business into the successful space you see today.
The Hub has a lovely welcoming atmosphere. Vicky told us, "People often pop in and three hours later they are still here!" You'll find a good variety of craft kits on offer, including Diamond Art, Paint By Numbers, and Cross-Stitch. Haberdashery and wool are also available. So if you're visiting the Staffordshire Moorlands and want something creative to do, this is a must-visit.
Cheadle Craft Community Hub & A Child of Mine: An Inspired Project to Honour Staffordshire's Departed Children
