This year was TWAM's first time having a stand at the Suffolk Show. We were very generously invited to be a part of the Good News stand, and we met many people with sheds and garages full of tools that they no longer need. It was great to meet people face-to-face again and talk about our work.

We were given a 3x3m plot to set up our gazebo on, and we displayed our brand new banner for the first time, adorned with a striking photo of Harriet, one of our tool recipients in Uganda. TWAM's two apprentices, Sheldon and James, manned the stand for the full two days, ably assisted by volunteers Paul and Eric. It was a long day for all involved. We arrived just before 8am and left well after 7pm, so we spent the next day recovering!

The most successful part of the stand was the "Guess the Tool'' activity which you can see in the photo above. We laid out a range of interesting and niche tools that came in with our usual tool donations and asked passersby to guess as many as they could. Anyone who gave it a go was given a TWAM pen. Only one person managed to guess every single tool!

We brought a range of tool kits to show people exactly what we send. Our two most popular kits were there: the carpentry kit and the sewing machine. We also brought a plumber's kit. Many tool experts were impressed with the range of tools that are in the kits and how they cover everything that a trainee and entrepreneur would need to start their business.

Despite the rain, many people still came to have a chat with us and learn more about our work. We made many new friends, and spoke to people who have followed TWAM since the very beginning. We also spoke to some local and national companies that we're hoping to build relationships with.

All in all, it was a great event, and we hope that we have encouraged more people to think before they throw away their old tools and will pass them on to us instead so that we can refurbish them and allow them to create livelihoods and transform lives.