February half-term fun for all the family at Tamworth Castle

Visit Tamworth Castle for February half term to enjoy new activities for families plus a new clothing exhibition for visitors to enjoy until the end of March.

Tamworth Borough Council are excited to welcome back Debbie Murphy from Missfit Creations to the castle, for her clothing exhibition from 10 February - 31 March.

Debbie is returning to the castle following her popular clothing repair workshop last September, where visitors to the castle were able to learn traditional techniques such as sashiko stitching, darning, and upcycling old clothing to create a new look.

From 10 February until the end of March, the castle will be exhibiting a selection of costumes from Debbie Murphy’s Missfit’s vintage clothing collection which will be displayed along with replica historic costumes from the castle collection.

Half term activities for the family take place from 10 – 18 February. Kids of all ages can find out about contemporary and historic fashion and try-on replica historical dresses, coats, hats and bonnets from the Medieval and Victorian periods. Visitors are encouraged to take photographs or selfies in the dress up fashions within the period setting of the castle. 

Children are also invited to take part in our historic costume quiz and have a go at paper doll making. On the 10, 14 and 18February, Debbie Murphy will offer drop-in fabric craft workshops for visitors of all ages; making a range of from fabric remnants to finger puppets. Rosa Brown will also be joining the half term activities with her paper doll crafting.

Councillor Andrew Cooper, Portfolio Holder for Entertainment and Leisure, said: “Tamworth Castle is always a great place to visit, and this half term we have family activities and a new clothing exhibition.

“It’s wonderful to have Debbie Murphy returning with her exhibition highlighting the amazing work she is doing with repurposing, repairing and reusing fabrics and old clothing.

“We hope this exhibition will help explore creativity as a way of engaging audiences with our wonderful history and we look forward to welcoming visitors back after our short winter break.”

Missfit Creations was set up in 2002 by Debbie Murphy, a dressmaker and clothing restorer specializing in vintage and costume. She is also the founder of Tamworth’s Mending Circle which meet fortnightly at The Community Café in The Castle Grounds.

Debbie has worked for entertainers of all descriptions dressing tribute acts, pop bands and drag artists for several years before focusing entirely on keeping clothing from landfill.

In 2022 a Case Study on Missfit Creations was carried out by the Energy & Bio-Products Research Institute at Aston University. The groundbreaking research found that the business’ zero waste policy and sustainable practice amounted to savings of approximately 3 tonnes of CO2eq each year.
 

Debbie said: “I am delighted to be invited back to the castle to deliver my clothes exhibition and I’m really looking forward to sharing my collection.

“With enough clothing on the planet currently to dress the next six generations, I have made a business out of recovering and refashioning old clothes.

“It will be an exploration of continuity and change around garments over time regarding changing needs, social mobility, and improvements in production.

“I employ traditional tailoring along with a variety of mending techniques to keep vintage clothing in circulation. Specialising in visible mending, I keep a zero-waste policy ensuring that all aspects of a garment are restored or reworked into new designs.”

Whilst at the castle, remember to visit the Battle and Tribute exhibition and download the app for the virtual reality world via the Augmented Reality Trail. 

There is something for people of all ages – visit www.tamworthcastle.co.uk to find out all the activities you can get involved in and book your tickets. (Prices may vary subject to event).