I’m a working woodman and rural craftsman.  My career in forestry began as a timber feller and sawmill worker in North Yorkshire. After six years as a forestry contractor I spent a decade as a forester, managing timber and landscape restoration operations for a rural estate, and some years managing a practical, community woodland programme with an environmental charity.

In the past decade or so I’ve being stretching my skills base and capacity to learn.  I’m a trained drystone waller with a decent portfolio of satisfied private clients, and I’ve been a walling trainer for a high-value local authority contract. An experienced sloyd teacher, I’ve delivered bespoke educational woodcraft programmes for a range of clients.  When winter bites and walling loses its appeal, I paint, carve spoons, write poetry and split firewood.

At heart I’m a maker, so whether it’s a wall, an eating spoon or a timber frame structure, I’m only too happy to be making something lasting and useful.  If it’s beautiful too, then all the better.