Projects
Over the years, Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre has initiated projects both small and large, each of which has helped our community grow, develop and make its dreams come true. Every project has been a step towards a dream – whether a renovated space, a preserved tradition or an undertaking that brings the community together. We are sincerely grateful to all the supporters whose help has turned these ideas into reality.
From a Study Trip to an Active Community
Implementation of the mini-project “From a Study Trip to an Active Community” under the ESF+ measure of the Pärnu Bay Partnership Assembly, 1 June 2026 – 1 June 2028.
The aim of the project is to increase the social activity of people aged 55+ in the Tõstamaa area and to bring them out of their homes and into community life.
As part of the project, MTÜ Tõstamaa Käsitöökeskus (the non-profit Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre) will organise two one-day study trips between August 2026 and July 2027, during which participants will learn about practices for involving people aged 55+ in other regions.
The knowledge gained on the study trips will be analysed in the community and opportunities for implementing new ideas will be sought. In addition, four practical activities will be carried out in cooperation with the community centre, involving external trainers. The project will create a community-based preventive activity model that helps reduce loneliness, improve mental well-being and support dignified ageing.
- 6 August 2026, 7:30 – free trip to Valga County.
- 28 October 2026, 18:00 – Practical health series “Healthy and Informed Nutrition and Everyday Choices for People Aged 55+”.
- 12 November 2026, 18:00 – The lymphatic system – the body’s “sewage system” and defence.
- 22 July 2027 – study trip to Muhu.
- 27 October 2027 – Heikki Mägi, “Healthy Nutrition”.
Lighting Solution for the Room in the Annex of the Tõstamaa Handicraft Shop
Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre is improving the lighting of the room in the annex of the Tõstamaa Handicraft Shop.
The project is funded by the Local Initiative Programme (KOP) – grant: €871.93.
“The aim of the project is to install lighting in the annex of the Tõstamaa Handicraft Shop to make it possible to hold outdoor workshops and exhibitions. Currently, the use of the room is limited by the lack of lighting.
The need for better conditions has grown with the increasing range of workshops at the Handicraft Centre and with the festival “Tõstamaa Õhetus”, which brings together the community and visitors. As a result of the project, the usability of the room will improve, community participation will increase, and better opportunities will be created for promoting handicrafts and cultural heritage.”
We covered the project on social media.
Heritage Culture Festival "Tõstamaa Õhetus"
Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre is implementing, with the support of the LEADER programme, the joint project Heritage Culture Festival “Tõstamaa Õhetus”, the main aim of which is to support the preservation of Tõstamaa’s heritage identity in the Romantic Coast region.
As part of the joint project, a 3-day heritage culture festival will be held, during which various roosimine workshops will take place. In addition, there will be other workshops introducing cultural heritage, such as stone carving, leatherwork, a traditional bead necklace workshop and a variety of workshops for children.
The total cost of the joint project is €12,828.00, the grant amount is €11,545.20 and the own contribution is €1,282.80.
Increasing the Visibility of the Tõstamaa Area
Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre is implementing, with the support of the LEADER programme, the joint project “Increasing the Visibility of the Tõstamaa Area”, the main aim of which is to create, in cooperation with local entrepreneurs, visualised Google Maps-based visitor routes presenting the area’s tourism businesses and natural attractions.
The total cost of the joint project is €3,720, the grant amount is €3,348 and the own contribution is €372.
Acquiring the Heritage Skills Used in Sewing the Ethnographic Fur Coats of the Parishes of Pärnu County.
Acquiring the Heritage Skills Used in Sewing the Ethnographic Fur Coats of the Parishes of Pärnu County.
Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre is implementing, with the support of the LEADER programme, the joint project “Recreating the Folk Costumes of the Parishes of Pärnu County”, the main aim of which is to research and restore the ethnographic fur coats of the parishes of Pärnu County. The joint project involves researching ethnographic fur coats, making trial coats and recreating the coats.
The total cost of the joint project is €14,896.20, the grant amount is €13,406.58 and the own contribution is €1,489.62.
Renovation of the Exhibition Hall and Classroom in the Tõstamaa Handicraft Shop Building.
Over the years, Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre has written both larger and smaller projects. We are extremely grateful to all our supporters.
Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre is implementing, with the support of the LEADER programme, the project “Renovation of the Exhibition Hall and Classroom in the Tõstamaa Handicraft Shop Building”.
With the support of the LEADER project, the other half of the historic Vassili Martinson shop building complex in Tõstamaa town centre, which has so far been unused by the Tõstamaa Handicraft Shop, will be reconstructed, at a total cost of €29,822.49, with an own contribution of €2,982.24 and a grant of €26,840.16.
The grand opening takes place on 23 May at 16:00.
The reconstruction of the exhibition hall and classroom will make it possible to display the work of our clubs’ students and adult makers and local heritage, and to bring in exhibitions from further afield. The aims of the reconstruction are to offer a more diverse cultural experience to our community and visitors; to value the work of the area’s masters, to inspire and teach the next generation; and to value the history and traditions of the area.
The project was approved for support by the Pärnu Bay Partnership Assembly from the LEADER programme measure “Active Community”; the implementing agency is PRIA (the Agricultural Registers and Information Board).
Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre's Hooandja Crowdfunding Project
At the end of 2021, Tõstamaa Handicraft Centre carried out a project together with Hooandja, a crowdfunding platform, to raise money for buying windows for the historic Vassili Martinson house in Tõstamaa town centre.