The Cabrach Winter Festival: A Season of Creativity and Connection

As the darker nights draw in and the air takes on that unmistakable chill, life in rural communities shifts pace. While the landscape rests, we gather. For many, autumn and winter can feel isolating – long evenings, quieter roads, and fewer opportunities to connect. At The Cabrach Trust, we believe these months are an opportunity to do the opposite: to come together, share skills, and celebrate the warmth of community.

That is why we’re delighted to announce The Cabrach Winter Festival, running from October 2025 through to the end of January 2026. This series of workshops and events has been carefully curated to spark creativity, bring people together, and offer a space to learn something new in good company and is delivered between The Cabrach Trust and our friends, Cabrach Reconnections.

Over the years, The Cabrach Trust has been steadily building a programme of rural skills and wellbeing workshops that invite both our own community, neighbouring parishes and those from further afield to take part. We’ve had the pleasure of working with an inspiring range of artists, craftspeople, and local makers – many of whom are returning this winter to share their talents once more. Alongside them, we’ve welcomed new faces and fresh ideas, building connections that stretch well beyond the workshop table.

This year, with support from Moray Climate Action and the Cabrach Community Microgrants (Clashindarroch and Dorenell Windfarm Funds), we’re able to make most of these workshops free for our community members. It’s our way of ensuring that anyone who wants to join in can do so without barrier.

A Festival of Hands-on Learning

So, what can you expect from the Cabrach Winter Festival? Something for everyone. From the meditative pace of slow stitching to the playful creativity of wire sculpture, each workshop offers a chance to step out of the everyday, focus your hands and mind, and take home something beautiful.

Here’s a flavour of the programme:

Crochet a Cabrach Cushion – 1st, 8th, and 15th October
Weave a Cosy Rug on a Peg Loom – 4th October
Slow Stitch a Book Cover – 26th October
Plaster Casting with Textiles – 2nd November
Hand Sew a Felt Handwarmer Rabbit – 5th November
Monoprinting with Found Objects – 9th November
Make a Handmade Book – 23rd November
Meditative Slow Stitch Scrolls – 29th November
Make a Wire Fairy – 30th November
Make a “Hare”loom Luna Lapin – 6th December
Slow Stitch Journal – 17th January
Decorate a Mini Birdhouse – 18th January
Create a Purse from Recycled Textiles – 24th January
Mobile Phone Photography – 25th January
Sketching from Nature – 31st January

From textiles to printmaking, bookbinding to photography, there is no shortage of inspiration to be found.

Join Us

Whether you’re reconnecting with old friends, meeting neighbours for the first time, or simply carving out time for yourself, the Cabrach Winter Festival is an open invitation. Come along, sit beside the fire of creativity, and be part of something that warms more than just the hands.

You can explore the full programme and book your place here:

👉 The Cabrach Trust Eventbrite Page

We can’t wait to welcome you.