Jolly Hockey Sticks workshops and events are about community, creativity and fun!

I have established a professional creative network of actors, musicians, writers, comedians and visual artists. My past experience as box office manager @Soho Theatre, events producer @Centuryclub, resources manager @Freshwatertheatre has given me substantial experience to collaborate with an array of talent to facilitate workshops in visual arts to performance for age groups 5 to 50 years old. I am consistently on the look out for more creative projects that are culturally diverse & accessible for all.

I am experienced in short film producing and proud to have received an Honorable Mention in the London – Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival 2020 for ‘Play Rewind Forward’ comedy. Click here to view the film.

Contact me on melindaliulondon@gmail.com

Jolly Hockey Sticks first began as upcycle fabric workshops for 16 years olds with Envision charity in 2005. The workshops are about creating creatures from old clothes and bits of fabric that was destined to landfill.

MTV Flux interviewed students, NME magazine did a press shoot featuring a doll with ‘Goldie Looking Chain’ and Chinese magazine ‘How’ also noticed these unique creatures!


Jolly sewing workshop with Envision charity students at Museum of London

Bags of fabric and fun! Everyone got involved…

Students creating some original upcycled creatures

‘HOW’ Magazine from China came to the Spunky Store in Carnaby St, London and wrote a little mention… circa 2005.

MTV FLUX – Enviro fashion report featured students creating upcycle fashion and rag dolls. NME magazine shows the ‘Goldie Lookin Chain’ doll with the actual band too!

We worry ALOT about all kinds of WASTE in the world and instead of getting down about it… jolly hockey sticks is about exploring ways to MAKE DO with what you got…because if we don’t we’re going to be filling the earth with too much junk!

Photo credit: Moschino and article link here about designers addressing waste in the world.

A jolly revolution…

Oh the consequences of fashion! I’ve had this love/hate affair with fashion all my life. I love fashion but with all the waste involved shall we just go naked like the cat below?

Maybe not, I would get too cold in winter ( and I love winter fashion!)

However…back to the issue of waste in fashion production, there is a large proportion of unnecessary waste produced each year in the production of textiles. These are termed post-industrial waste. And it’s too complicated to breakdown to recycle.

‘Textile wastes take many forms and are often complex in nature due to the range of manufacturing specifications required. Complex mixtures of fibres make separation more difficult and more costly, and this has implications for the profitability of textile recycling.
Unfortunately, This is either incinerated or disposed of in landfill.’

‘We Great Britons send 700,000 tonnes of clothing to recycling centres, textile banks, clothes collections and to charity each year. 

That’s enough to fill 459 Olympic-size swimming pools.

57% of people say they recycle their textiles with 41% of people saying they’re not aware of recycling facilities for textiles’

Quotes from CLOTHES AID with more informative facts here.

Try shopping at TRAID for some fantastic bargains and stylish revamped goodies! Mainly based around London ( sorry world..hopefully there’s something similar in your country too!)

They have a fantastic window dresser Francesco Coluccio, more about him on this Vogue article here.

Now isn’t this inspiring?

Here is a link in how you can mend holes in clothes and make some mini bags from scraps of fabric, there’s plenty more ideas online, save money, pick up a needle and thread and have a sew!