Basecamp Cooperative Chepstow

22/12/2025

Film as an art form and a language of the soul helps widen our horizons and strengthens our sense of community.

Last night’s screening was more than just a film; it reminded us of the connections we build through story, art, and shared experiences, a language of the soul that unites us all.

It was a privilege to share this Czech classic with you.

There was laughter, a bit of nostalgia, and the joy of watching a film together, rough edges and old effects included. We chose 21 December to follow International Migrants Day because, in times like these, connection and understanding matter.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to MCC Small Grants & Electric Picture Hall for their support.

We look forward to welcoming you back in the months ahead as we continue this journey through cinema, marking important moments such as Ukrainian Unity Day in January, LGBTQ+ History Month in February, and themes around Muslim and refugee perspectives in March, with films that open windows into different lives and experiences.

21/12/2025

Women have gathered around a fire for thousands of years.
To sit together.
To speak.
To listen.
To witness one another.

So grateful to everyone who joined the first Hiraeth Women’s Circle @ Basecamp.
A huge thank you to Sadie for guiding us from lighting candles to meditation to gentle reflection. And for sharing a small piece of poetry, “To Know the Dark” by Wendell Berry. A beautiful little note for our gathering.

We look forward to sitting together again next month ❤️

20/12/2025

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to our very first Adult Handcrafted Gifts Guild workshop ❤️✨🎀

It was such a pleasure to spend time together making wreaths and centre table pieces from natural materials, chatting, creating, and sharing mulled apple juice and mince pies.

The pieces you made were wonderful – so much thought and creativity in every one. Thank you for turning up, getting stuck in, and helping make our first workshop such a positive experience.

Looking ahead to January…
Our next workshop will be all about making soap and shampoo bars, and spending time on how to present them beautifully for gifting – perhaps with handmade boxes, shells, or other natural materials.

✨Just a gentle note for the future: our workshops are small, and places are limited, so please only book if you know you’re able to come, or let us know as early as possible if plans change. It really helps us offer places fairly.✨

Thank you again to everyone who supported this first workshop – we’re really looking forward to what’s to come.

20/12/2025

We are open for our first wellbeing workshop. If you secured your space come up and join us crafting.

12/12/2025

This winter, we’re inviting adults, especially women, to take time for themselves in a busy season, through a pilot series of creative and nature-based workshops.

Creative activity and time outdoors are not luxuries, they’re basic human needs. They help reduce stress, improve mood, and bring a sense of accomplishment and connection. When women are supported, families and communities benefit too.

Spaces are limited! Expression of Interest – Winter Wellbeing Workshops – Fill in form - https://forms.office.com/r/qkaTapAFNn

11/12/2025

We are pleased to invite you to the screening of this Czech Christmas classic! ❄️✨

Join us on Sunday, 21 December at 6:00 pm in the Green Room for the beloved Czech adaptation of Cinderella (Three Wishes for Cinderella / Tři oříšky pro Popelku). Experience the beauty of the Czech winter countryside and enjoy the story of a brave, independent Cinderella. It has been a holiday favourite across Europe for generations.

Treat your taste buds to free hot chocolate, mince pies, and popcorn, made possible by MCC Small Grants funding & Electric Picture Hall.

Celebrate International Migrants Day and the Christmas season with us, as we enjoy this cinematic gem together.

01/12/2025

Our winning number from the November Lottery Draw is no.39!

23/11/2025

22/11/2025

Winter can ask a lot of us; mentally, physically, and financially!
So this Saturday at Mill Common, we chose to pause. To wander. To breathe.

With John Gareth, Mill Common Community Engagement Officer for Monmouthshire County Council, we began our wreath-making workshop not at a table but on a stroll. Drizzle on our sleeves, hands full of small wonders: Hawthorn berries, Beech leaves, Ivy, dried Bracken, Old Man’s Beard wisps… tiny accents of late autumn to welcome winter in.

At Basecamp Cooperative, we believe creativity isn’t a luxury. It’s a human need. We don’t need special skills or degrees to make something beautiful, only permission to try, to notice, to play, to reconnect with nature’s quieter rhythm.

As we settle into winter’s slower heartbeat, we are here to support our community, whether through our affordable counselling, therapeutic services, or wellbeing and nature workshops. Here’s to wonder - the walking kind and the awe-filled kind, and to creating what grounds us.

Huge thanks to MCC, who made this workshop possible, and to Chepstow Garden Centre and the maintenance team at the Dean Academy for the donated evergreen offcuts and foliage; nothing went to waste, and they brought joy to many.

Please find out more about the Mill Common Restoration Project, a community initiative to care for and rejuvenate this cherished woodland. https://www.monlife.co.uk/outdoor/green-infrastructure/mill-common-restoration-project/

03/11/2025

🎬 StopMotion Kids Club – Workshop for Kids!

This Friday, 7th November, our venue is hosting a creative workshop run by StopMotion Kids Club, designed for children aged 4–11. Kids will have fun modelling their own characters in plasticine and bringing them to life with stop-motion animation, creating a short animated scene to take home.

🎟️ Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stop-motion-workshop-the-art-of-plasticine-animation-tickets-1933786229669

All materials and instructions are provided by the StopMotion Kids Club team. We’re delighted to support them in bringing this fun and creative event to Chepstow!

29/10/2025

A massive thank you to Electric Picture Hall for bringing Rye Lane to our community and to Monmouthshire County Council for their support. We’re thrilled to have secured the funding and provided the space for these screenings. What a fantastic first night!

Rye Lane was such a fun, quirky film: cheeky art exhibitions, a surprise Colin Firth cameo, and so many little funny moments. Absolutely soul food: smart, funny, and full of heart. Definitely a hidden gem we’d recommend.

Looking forward to the next screening on 25.11.2025!

The first of many screenings at our new HQ. What a fabulous night. What a fantastic film. Rye Lane was an absolute hit! So fresh, so energetic, so much fun.

Thanks to and for supporting.

12/09/2025

🌿 Join Us at Our Annual General Meeting! 🌿

We’re a not-for-profit cooperative delivering counselling and wellbeing services to our community.

Our AGM is a great opportunity to:

Have your say in our cooperative’s future

Vote for our new committee

Get involved and bring your ideas, skills, and energy

We welcome anyone interested in supporting our mission, whatever your area of expertise, or simply a passion for community wellbeing.

Be part of shaping the future of our cooperative!