What a busy month October was for us at Level Best Enterprises! From collaborative art projects and community events to new initiatives, our team and Trainees have been hard at work producing everything from paintings to pickled onions! Here are just a few of the highlights – for news as it happens, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Scarily Good Fun…
We had great fun hosting Castle Crafts Essex Halloween Makers Market and serving up spooky themed treats. Thanks to everyone who came along and supported us.
Apple Day at Firstsite Colchester
Apple Day was a roaring success – you could say it was one of this year’s ‘core’ events! Jamie’s Favourite Birds mini prints, cards and postcards completely sold out, Alex J’s Tart postcards almost all sold, and Angus’s fruit painting found a home with an art collector. The team loved showcasing artwork and allotment produce alongside other local makers. 🍎
Cuppa Kindness ☕
We’ve launched Cuppa Kindness with Colchester Food Bank – a pay-it-forward scheme helping provide hot drinks for those in need. Buy an extra cuppa, receive a handmade flower magnet for our board, and help make kindness part of everyday life. The adorable flower magnets, created by our Trainees will soon be available as souvenirs. 🌸
Stephen’s Fiery Achievement
Trainee Stephen grew Scotch Bonnet chillies from seed, designed the jar label himself, and helped produce our fiery pickled bonnets, now on sale in the café. 🌶👏
Thank You, Colchester YFC!
Huge thanks to Colchester Young Farmer Club for raising an incredible £1,500 for Level Best. Your generosity helps us invest in even more opportunities for our Trainees. 💛
We’re in a Pickle…
Seasonal prep is in full swing! Our pickled onions are infusing with herbs and spices kindly donated by the Colchester Refill Shop. This year’s batch will debut at our upcoming festive markets but be quick – our eye-wateringly good pickled onions always sell out fast! 🧅✨
Creative Highlights
Sophie’s Shimmering Success
Sophie’s Flower Meadow painting caused quite a stir — her delicate use of metallic foil caught the light beautifully, and it didn’t stay long before being snapped up! Mini-print versions are coming soon so everyone can enjoy her work. 🌼
Claire’s Autumn Glow
Claire’s autumn-inspired painting – full of rich golds, russets and woodland warmth has perfectly captured the beauty of autumn and was soon snapped up by a buyer. 🍁
Embroidery Adventures
Our art Trainees have taken to embroidery with enthusiasm, learning new stitches, experimenting with sequins, and blending colours in gorgeous new textile artworks. ✂️✨
Melissa’s Awareness Art
To mark ADHD Awareness Month, Trainee artist Melissa created a thoughtful series of drawings exploring ADHD, ADD & AuDHD — sparking great conversations about neurodiversity and creativity. 🦋
🧁 In the Kitchen
The Level Best kitchen has been alive with seasonal spirit — from Halloween bakes 🎃👻 and autumn drinks to Christmas cake prep.
We also created special cupcakes to mark World Mental Health Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with handmade pink ribbons raising funds for Cancer Research UK. 💗
🌿 Allotment & Environmental Action
Stephen’s chilli success wasn’t our only green victory!
Jamie, ever passionate about keeping the environment tidy, designed and installed litter-awareness signs along the Folly where our community project runs. His message: “Please put your litter in the bin” caught the eye of Colchester City Council, who want to use it as part of a wider campaign. Colchester MP Pam Cox was so impressed, she has made a donation of £500 from her own charitable fund to support the campaign. Great work Jamie! ♻️👏
Coming up….
We have a busy few weeks coming up! For more information, check out our events pages
