About Airdrie Kids Craft
How a lifelong passion for model making became Airdrie's most welcoming creative community.
My passion for model making all started when I was six years old. Walking down the hallway of a friend’s house in the suburbs of London, I saw a collection of scale model racing cars that his dad had built. I was mesmerised. I asked myself, How could something this small look so real? My visual senses were so heightened that my imagination could practically smell the gasoline and oil through the glass that it was displayed behind. From that moment what I saw became my dream. I wanted to do that.
Fast forward sixteen years and I found myself working with children with learning differences and special needs around schools in London UK. I was chosen to work with some of the most hard to reach students in the Inner City. It was challenging but rewarding work which spanned over 25 years.
I moved to Canada in 2022 with my wife and three children.
We signed our kids up for a variety of different activities over the seasons from dance, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and basketball. Watching my children have fun doing these activities put a smile on my face as it would any parent.
The idea of creating Airdrie Kids Craft started by observing another parents kid playing soccer, looking really uncomfortable standing in the middle of the pitch not knowing what to do next while kids ran around them with the ball.
In that moment, I realised that there were plenty of activities in Airdrie to sign your kids into, but the problem being, the majority of them were physical sports. The reality is, not all kids are build to be athletes, however, everyone is built to be great!
Airdrie kids Craft takes the very best of who I am and what I do. An expert model maker and someone that has worked and connected with children in an educational setting for over 25+ years. I understand the importance of nurturing potential and harvesting confidence.
I also understand that in this fast paced, ever changing world we are losing some things! Connection, community and creativity. Technology can be great if used wisely, however consuming too much can lead to overstimulation, isolation, anxiety, depression and many of the mental health issues we see today.
We now have a generation of kids growing up without ever knowing what it feels like to truly focus, be present, persevere and delay their gratification through a challenge to finally hold a finished build in their hands and say - I made that!
I want to create a space that slows things down, allows us to reflect and brings us back to our true nature. To create within a community.
Our Mission
To give every student an experience to see that they are better than they think they are. Through the journey of model making we are tested in many ways. Whether that’s through our patients, frustrations, resolve, problem solving, disappointments and our willingness to fail, which is the biggest part of learning.
With the problems in the world, by developing healthy, resilient, solution focused minds we will be more equipped to find solutions with love and integrity and creative thinking.
Our Vision
Our vision is to become Airdrie’s community hub for creativity. Although the idea is starting with scale model making (which is my jam) we foresee a studio that encompasses everything crafting. From painting to pottery, sewing to sculpting. Once quality expertise in these fields are found, the sky is the limit!
As big as this venture may become what will always remain important to us is that we remember you all by name and the experience never gets diluted.
"There's no better feeling than stepping back and looking at something you built with your own two hands."
— Richard, Founder · Airdrie Kids Craft
