What a Year!

In the summer of 2003, by chance, Lynne Pope met Liz McQuillan of the Raptor Foundation. After a lengthy discussion, Liz invited Lynne for a meeting and offered her the opportunity to open a craft shop on the Raptor Foundation complex.

September 2003 saw Lynne and husband David start work on converting the old tearoom into what is now the far end of the shop. Within three weeks, the inside of the old barn was clean, bright and ready for business. On the 3rd October 2003, Raptor Krafts opened for the first time, with 12 crafters and a couple of local artists. In January 2004, Lynne was given a further opportunity by Liz, this time to double the size of the shop. The offices neighbouring the shop had become redundant, due to an extension to the Foundation's main building. Early February saw the partitions and walls of the old offices being removed - this time round, it was a real building project. Working first at weekends and the odd evening, and eventually taking time off work, David managed to get most of the work done on his own, with some help from his father and some of the crafters. Although the shop left a good impression on visitors, the opening of the main section now leaves most visitors breathless.

By early March 2004, all was finished and Lynne was in; now with over 45 crafters and at least 10 local artists, Raptor Krafts is a true shopper's haven.

"Lynne over the last year had achieved her lifetime dream of owning and running a craft shop".