Oxfordshire Woodland Group

Ruth Goodfellow runs courses at Westonbirt Arboretum and elsewhere to provide opportunities for women to try their hand at green woodworking.

Before work starts tools need to be sharpened.

Women set to shaping greenwood on the horse using a drawknife to make a spoon blank.

Ruth demonstrates the use of a knife to shape a spoon from the blank.

Tea break discussion about progress made.

Campfire discussion on Course experiences.

Group photo taken outside the Carpenters Fellowship Craft Shelter at Westonbirt.

The Oxfordshire Woodland Group would like to actively encourage more women to consider learning how to work with wood. This forum demonstrates the involvement of women in greenwoodworking including Rhiannon Fentimen in hedge laying, Barbara Czoch in timber framing, Jane Gray Wallis in peg making, Riki Therival in coppice & firewood production and Ruth Goodfellow in running courses to learn how to make greenwood products.

Working with greenwood is an activity that :-

- can blend seamlessly with child rearing or caring responsibilities
- provides excercise to improve physical & mental wellbeing
- developes a skill set to make real products (today a peg or spoon tomorrow a timber-frame)
- promotes both individual and group activity

Please let us know how we can help you to try your hand at this activity.

Ken Hume
Executive Trustee - Oxfordshire Woodland Group