From a young age woodlands were my playground, they always seemed to be where I gravitated to, from building dens as a boy, to now living in and managing over 9 acres of hazel coppice. At school I was first introduced to woodworking and the creative arts, and from there I went to university to study art, and then musical instrument making, but i felt the need to understand and engage with the source of timber so applied and completed an apprenticeship at the Cherrywood Project in 2012, and have been managing woodlands ever since. My time working in the woods has opened my eyes to the importance of all land work, understanding our part in nature and the need for our actions to be working in an ecological and responsible manner. I now also manage a 2 acre plot of agricultural land growing food, craft materials and keeping sheep.
I am a traditional woodland craftsman, making a wide range of work. I teach and demonstrate these techniques and skills from my workshop and at other venues across the South West of England.
My overall aim is to create a symbiotic working relationship between the woods and the growing project. The seasonal nature of the two sites work perfectly together, the winter is spent in the woods cutting coppice and processing, predominately into products for growing, but also include charcoal, and other traditional coppice crafts. The summer is spent out in the field planting and harvesting fruit and vegetables for sale to the local village. I am especially interested in how small scale forestry, agriculture and ecological land management can work together to produce the essential needs of local communities. check out whats going on in the field at the Grower-Maker website
I am a member of The Landworkers Alliance, involved with both the South West coordinating Team and the Woodland Branch working to promote, support and stand in solidarity with other small scale producers of food, fuel and fibre, for more information visit the Landworkers Alliance website.
Kirby Woodworks 