#217: Mending for Mental Wellbeing with Rebecca from The Big Fandango
#217: Mending for Mental Wellbeing with Rebecca from The Big Fandango  
Podcast: Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably
Published On: Mon Mar 02 2026
Description: All of us are aware of and enjoy many of the mental health benefits of crafting, making and mending. Rebecca Jackson understands this better than most, having experienced one of the worst things someone can go through. It led her to set up The Big Fandango five years ago in Bury, just outside Manchester in the UK. The Big Fandango is a social enterprise with workshop space that creates and nurtures community and positive mental health through learning sewing and textiles craft skills, whilst also delivering suicide prevention training to businesses and organisations.  You will also hear from Jeanna Wigger and Mary Morton, authors of the awesome mending book, ‘Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It’, who were delivering a mending workshop as part of their North of England book tour a couple of weeks ago.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Rebecca Jackson founded The Big Fandango, a social enterprise based in Bury, Manchester, UK.  Listen to my episode with Jeanna and Mary about their amazing book: Ep. #191: Stitch it, Don’t Ditch it with Mary Morton and Jeanna Wigger Jeanna Wigger can be found @thepeoplesmending on Instagram. Jeanna also has an excellent Substack.  Mary Morton can be found @edinburghstreetstitchers and @mvm13 on Instagram Listen to my other previous conversations with Jeanna: Ep. #115: Winter of Care and Repair with Jeanna Wigger Ep. #132: A Season of Mending with Jeanna Wigger Ep. #135: How to Triage Your Mends with Jeanna Wigger Ep. #163: How to Effect Change This Winter with Jeanna Wigger Ep. #190: The Four Tendencies and Sewing with Jeanna, Kim & Lise  Ep. #208: Challenging Consumption and Perfectionism with Jeanna Wigger Mary volunteers at the Shrub Coop, a ZW charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland (@shrubcoop on Instagram).  Find their book, ‘Stitch it, Don't Ditch it’.  Mary and Jeanna regularly recommend the ‘Repair What You Wear’ website to would-be menders. Also @RepairWhatYouWear on YouTube, and in this episode mentioned their videos on how to thread a needle easily for right handed people and for left handed people.