In the spring and summer months, I run chairmaking courses in a beautiful ancient woodland on the Welsh borders. They offer a wonderful opportunity to step out of the rat race, immerse yourself in the tranquility of nature and learn a range of new traditional chairmaking skills. At the end you’ll walk away with a treasured armchair that will last for generations.

The focus of my woodland courses is the Welsh stick chair, a striking design associated with vernacular furniture styles typical of rural Wales. The chairs are produced almost entirely using ancient hand tools such as the drawknife, adze, spokeshave and travisher. Some of the components are bent to shape, using steam generated on the woodland workshop's open fire. The satisfaction derived from the simple pleasures of fashioning a beautiful chair with only a few simple hand tools, in the setting of a magical woodland, cannot be overstated.

Accommodation is offered on site in the two yurts and beautiful treetop cabin of Redwood Valley.