Welcome to 2016!

DAST are starting the New Year with two new projects.

Firstly, we must thank the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant of £3,800.  This is for a one year project that we will be working on throughout this year.  Called ‘Our Asbestos Heritage’, we will be collecting memories, observations and photographs from people who worked with asbestos from the 1940s to the 1990s.  We will use this information to make a catalogue of trades, types of workplaces and household objects which involved asbestos. We will prepare a leaflet and a display and share our findings using a website and social media. The overall aims include to record this part of our industrial history, and inform those who work with historic buildings and artefacts so that they can be vigilant. Leaflets will be sent out to museums and magazines specialising in vintage homewares.

You can contribute!

·        Did you work with asbestos?

If so, please complete one of our questionnaires – ask Sarah for a copy.  We can help you to fill it in if required.

·        Do you hold any photographs of someone at work with asbestos or in an environment where it was heavily used?

If so, please email a copy or allow us to borrow it so that we can scan a copy.

·        Do you have any photographs of objects that contained asbestos?

Please share them with the project.

·        We will shortly be launching a new Twitter account and Facebook page devoted to this project.

Please follow us and contribute your thoughts – look out for the links on our existing social media pages.

Secondly, January is Artisans For Asbestos month.

We are asking our supporters to while away the dark, long evenings by crafting something for DAST to sell.  You could knit, sew, crochet or anything you fancy.  Please make objects that people would be interested in buying from us, either at our events or from an online shop. Some ideas include:

·        Hats/scarves/gloves

·        Brooches/corsages

·        Toys

·        Cushion covers

·        Cards/gift tags

·        Bags/purses

·        Artwork

Have a go!  Share your works in progress on our Facebook page. 

If you’re not crafty yourself, why not ask a friend to relative to make something on your behalf?

 You can make a donation to DAST by clicking here