Derbyshire crafts business owner to host holiday activity event in memory of dad

Kate Hawkins, 50, co-founder of Our Crafty Place, is hosting Craft for a Cure at the community interest company’s Wesleyan Chapel venue, on Corporation Road in Ilkeston, 10am to 2pm on Tuesday, August 18.

Featuring free family-friendly activities – involving paper, sewing, pipe cleaners and the like – as well as homemade cakes, refreshments and a tombola, participants can show up any time and stay for as little or long as they like.

Kate said: “We believe that creativity brings people together, and we wanted to use our craft community to support an important cause, inviting people to spend time together and help raise money while remembering dad in such a meaningful way.

“It's still about raising awareness too, isn't it? If there is any niggle in the back of your mind, just get yourself tested and don't worry about asking for tests because the sooner you can get a diagnosis, the better options there are for treatment.”

Any donations on the day will go to Blood Cancer UK's work towards lifesaving research, improved treatments and patient support services.

Kate’s dad, Derek Troughton, died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, aged 74, after living with the disease for almost five years.

She said: “He decided he was going to fight and try everything. He was offered various different trials and he was literally happy to accept any treatment they decided they were going to try, until the last one where he said, 'I actually can't do any more.' He was a magnificent fighter.”

As well as resilience, Kate sees Derek's kindness and willingness to help others reflected in the space he helped bring to life, which houses a diverse programme of tutorials and workshops, free community sessions, activities and events throughout the year.

A bank manager in his early career, Derek helped shape the project from the very beginning, sharing the belief that creativity should be accessible to all.

Kate and her friend Viv spent almost two years planning and four months renovating the building before Our Crafty Place opened in May 2025.

Kate said: “Viv once said, ‘If I opened a craft centre, I'd want to cater for absolutely everybody. I'd want everybody to be able to walk through the door, no matter what their situation.’ I thought, ‘What a wonderful thing to do,’ and said, ‘Let's do this.’

“Dad was incredibly supportive and anything that we needed, he was going to help with. He helped set up our 12-month forecast for the business and made sure we were on the right track. Anything he could do to help anybody, he was there.”

She added: “He was an amazing man, an amazing father. He played football and cricket right from the age of 14 and he was still keeping wicket at 70.

“We'd go as children on a Saturday afternoon, walk around the pitch, learn how to bowl, learn how to catch the ball and do the teas. I love the sound of cricket because, in the summer, it just takes me straight back.”

Rachel Mann-Bradbury, regional relationship manager at Blood Cancer UK, said: “We're incredibly grateful to Kate and everyone taking part. Fundraisers like this make a real difference and are at the heart of everything we do.

“Blood cancer is the UK's fifth most common cancer in the UK and behind every diagnosis is a family whose lives are changed forever. Derek's determination to take trials helped give him more time with his family, and today clinical trials continue to play a vital role in improving treatments and giving hope to people diagnosed with blood cancer.

"By bringing her local community together in Derek's memory, Kate is helping to fund vital research, improve support for people living with blood cancer and raise awareness of a disease that affects thousands of families every year. We can't thank her enough for everything she's doing.”

For more information, visit ourcraftyplace.co.uk or bloodcancer.org.uk.