A mental health and addiction recovery service in Tauranga has opened a shop to sell items crafted by its members to showcase their talents and offer them a meaningful way to learn new skills.

Turning Point Trust, which operates at the Historic Village, has opened the small shop in a retail space within the village, offering a range of arts, crafts and upcycled items for sale.

“We have mosaics, hand-crafted jewellery, paintings, woodcraft, pillows in Māori fabric, clothing that’s been redesigned and embellished, and we have some high-end and vintage clothing that’s been donated,” says Nicki Hockings, who works for Turning Point Trust.

“A small commission will be charged, but largely the profit of each sale will go to the creator.”

Nicki says the shop is an opportunity to showcase the creative work their members do while they’re at Turning Point’s day services. “As you know, we’re a mental health and addiction recovery service - and we offer a big activity space where our members can come in and do arts and crafts and different things to help in their recovery journey.”

“Some of the work created here is amazing and it’s insightful and it’s a reflection of where they’re at, and the genuine talent that comes through is something to behold.

“So we thought opening a small retail space in the village will be an opportunity to sell pieces on behalf of our members and [create] some visibility for them that they sometimes don’t get in other facets of life.”

Established in 1996, Turning Point Trust provides an environment where people living with an experience of mental illness and/or addiction feel safe and supported, and can develop meaningful relationships and skills that will facilitate community inclusion and participation.

About 20 staff work at the trust, which offers a suite of services - designed to support people’s chosen recovery paths - to people who register for membership.

“Our only criteria for membership is people are aged over 18 and have some kind of mental health or addiction issue that they can describe to make sure they are eligible. We don’t require official diagnosis or doctor referral.”

Currently, 300 members are on the books, and they can come and go at Turning Point’s day services whenever they need or want.

Nicki says the shop will also provide volunteer opportunities for Turning Point members who want to learn new skills and keep busy.

“Especially in the current employment environment where job-seekers are finding it tough, and if you add in mental health or addiction, it is even more so!”

To begin with, Turning Point staff will be in the shop in a supportive role to ensure members feel safe in their volunteering capacity “until they develop those confidences and skills”.

Nicki says for a lot of members, they’ve hit a point in their life where they need to rebuild and refocus and retrain - “and we [Turning Point] provide that opportunity to do that”.

“This shop will offer the chance to upskill and build confidence and is something that can go a CV.

“And it’s something we can be a reference for. So if members have been out of the workforce for a while, it’s great to have support in re-entry.”

Turning Point’s shop is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am-3pm at the Historic Village.