Love is in the air, as a handmade crafts fete swings into town at one of the borough’s favourite attractions for Valentine’s Day, just in time for its grand reopening.

From textile creations and home decorations, to savoury pickles and chutneys, Made with Love, at Valentines Mansion, Emerson Road, Ilford, is set to bring that loving feeling today.

The building is reopening after its usual winter closure, which saw minor repairs carried out and a new schedule of events planned.

Leytonstone-based Zara Gomez, who is bringing a selection of homemade cakes, sweets and Caribbean snacks, sauces and jams to the event, said: “Valentine’s Day does not have be about couples – it’s about appreciating the people around you.”

An early Christian saint named Valentinus lies behind the legend of St Valentine’s Day.

Since the middle ages, he has been widely recognised as a third century Roman associated with the tradition of courtly love.

Not much is known about Valentinus, except that he was buried at a cemetery on the Via Flaminia – an ancient Roman road leading over the Apennine mountains, from Rome to Rimini on the coast of the Adriatic Sea – after being martyred.

It was during the times of Geoffrey Chaucer, the great English poet, that the tradition of courtly love flourished, evolving into an occasion where star-crossed lovers expressed their feelings by swapping gifts.

The fair will be the first for creatives including Frances Welling, owner of Ilford-based Expressions in Colour, which specialises in encaustic abstract art – melted wax layered onto wood or slate.

The event features in-house artists, who will produce contemporary acrylic paintings and a variety of installations and performances.

Doors are open until 4pm.

For more information, visit valentinesmansion.com.