It was super lovely to welcome our colleague Kathy Vrettas from Yarra City Council to our community morning on Friday. And we were delighted that she brought along Cr Edward Crosslands who is the new Yarra Mayor.

The Yarra neighbourhood houses have such a great relationship with Council, and we are always thrilled when staff and councillors come along so we can show off all the exciting things we have been up to - and that deliver on our shared strategic objectives to create great services for our local community.

And … to mark the occasion … I FINALLY took a photo of some of our crafting friends who come along on Fridays with GenU. They have been coming for at least 6 months now, and we really look forward to them attending each week. Such nice people!

If you are interested in craft or gardening - with a good dose of socialising thrown in - our community mornings might be just right for you too! Come along from 10am. All welcome. Lunch is at 12pm.

This year we have extended our Toy Library hours.

You can now collect and return toys on either

• Tuesday afternoon from 1-3pm, or

• Wednesday morning from 10am-12pm (coinciding with our Wednesday Playgroup session).

Please note, you will still need to go online to reserve the toys you want to borrow before 10am Tuesdays, as our lovely friend and volunteer Sarah comes in around 10.30am to fill the orders for the week.

Joining a local toy library and borrowing toys is good for your hip pocket AND good for the planet! And good for your sanity if your home already has too much stuff! Keen? You can find out more join up here!

It has been wonderful to be part of the Yarra repair workshops this last 6 months … and we have one final one coming up. Clothing Repair will run on Saturday 17th of February from 1-3pm.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.

Join professional mender Mary-Ellen Jordan to learn simple sewing skills that just use a needle and thread, and some more advanced skills such as decorative stitching and patching for funky visible repairs.

 This workshop will cover:

• Types of needles and thread and their uses

• Basic hand sewing stitches

• How to hand stitch up a seam that has come undone

• How to hand stitch up a hem that has come undone

• How to sew on a button

• How to make a patch and stitch it onto your garment

• Some fancier stitches to boost your visible mending game

• Ideas and tricks for visible mending

Bring along a garment that you’d like to repair, or just come along and use the available materials to learn the techniques for future use.

Mary-Ellen Jordan is a professional mender who almost always uses simple hand stitching techniques in her work. She specialises in visible mending, putting a contemporary twist on traditional mending techniques by using them to fix a problem and add a touch of colour, pattern or texture to the garment. You can see some examples on Mary-Ellen’s facebook and instagram accounts @thetinyinstitute.

There are still a few spaces available in Tuning in to Teens programs for parents/carers of children aged 10-15 in the City of Yarra.

These programs are organised through Yarra Communities that Care (the collaboration of local agencies and schools).

Tuning in to Teens™

The Tuning in to Teens™ program is for parents/carers of children aged 10-15 years who live or study in the City of Yarra. This 6-session, interactive, small-group program is a great opportunity to better understand and help your child as they navigate high school and adolescence. The program helps you reflect on how you can strengthen your relationship with your child and build their emotional intelligence.

When: Thursday evenings 6.30-8.30pm from 15 February to 21 March

Who for: Parents/carers of children aged 10-15 who live or study in the City of Yarra

Where: Online, via zoom

Cost: $110 each, $170 for a caregiver pair, free for health care card holders

Registrations required: https://tint-yarra.eventbrite.com.au

These are small-group discussion programs with approx. 7-10 participants.

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Hello book readers,

We have three spots available for anyone that would like to join a Book Club.

• Monday 3rd book club - one spot available

• Tuesday 3rd book club - two spots available

As the names suggest, these book clubs meet on the third Monday and the third Tuesday of each month respectively. The book clubs meet here at our centre at 7pm and take home a book for the month - 10 for the year.

There is an annual fee of $60 to cover book hire from Darebin Libraries and administration from our end.

You can join here.