AN upcycle crafter from Yeadon, who spent three months turning hundreds of crisp packets into an eco ‘packet-jacket’, has made it through to the semi-finals of Eventbrite’s Hobby Hero competition.

Bernadette Shackleton, aged 52, is one of 10 semi-finalists in the national competition that saw hundreds of entries.

Eventbrite’s Hobby Hero competition launched in May to find Britain’s greatest hobbyist and help them share their pastime with others in an effort to get the nation connected again.

Bernadette, a child support worker and mother to 19-year-old son Ed, loves recycling from rubbish, and finds beauty in the tiniest detail. Having started collecting used crisp packets to recycle them, she began her ambitious upcycling project during lockdown with her friend Heidi. After three months, countless hours and hundreds upon hundreds of crisp packets, Bernadette’s ‘packet-jacket’ could now see her crowned Eventbrite’s Hobby Hero winner.

If Bernadette succeeds in the competition, she will receive a £5,000 prize – £2,500 in cash and £2,500 worth of support from Eventbrite’s experts to help share her passion with others.

Bernadette said: “I love giving a new lease of life to something that has been thrown away. When I go to the tip, it breaks my heart that so many things of value have been discarded as landfill. A crisp packet takes seven years to degrade so I’m glad we’ve found a new use for them.

“My packet-jacket started out as a silly pastime to keep me busy in lockdown. I never expected it to look so amazing or get me in the semi-finals of this competition. Even my son says it looks amazing, which is high praise indeed!”

Bernadette had to wash and dry hundreds of crisp packets, cut them into tiny pieces and layer and stick them to a thin jacket. The detail and craftmanship is so fine that people can’t tell what material the jacket is made from.

Bernadette added: “A fashion designer friend of mine is hoping to help us get the jacket to London Fashion Week. It would be amazing to get it noticed. It really does look striking.

“For Heidi and I, it’s been a labour of love. We would put the music on, clear the table and spend hours on our intricate design. It’s been really therapeutic and enjoyable. I can’t wait to start on our next design.”

Eventbrite’s Sebastian Boppert says: “The entries we received ranged from the more traditional to the weird and wonderful. We received lots of craft entries, but few as original and creative as Bernadette’s crisp packet art. You can tell from the photos how much dedication it took. We also love that her hobby is a sustainable pastime. I wish her all the best as one of our semi-finalists.

“Our final Hobby Hero winner will be someone with enthusiasm and dedication, who wants to share it with others – and maybe even earn some money with it. A strong entry like Bernadette’s certainly fits the bill.”