Author: tonymorgan

 The Cleft Stick is now available: ncfed.org.uk/news

A 2-day seminar with the Landscape Conservation Forum Thursday 25 – Friday 26 April 2024

Chaired by Ian D. Rotherham and Ken Smith

This two-day event begins in Day 1 by celebrating the remarkable and unique heritage of ancient woodlands. To do this we introduce recent and current research in woodland archaeology and management and update on progress since the landmark publication of the ‘Woodland Heritage Manual’ in 2008. Day 2 will focus on the threats to this irreplaceable heritage and ecology posed by current forestry policies and woodland management prescriptions.

More info HERE

Dave Gray
Experienced & qualified tree worker (ground & aerial) available now for woodland/contract work. Based in Carnforth. 07927 199545

Lee Bassett – Witch Halse Coppice Crafts – www.Coppicecrafts.blogspot.com
I currently have the following woodland products available:
– Hazel weavers / stakes 
– Cleft Oak posts / rails
– Birch tops 
– Large diameter logs of Ash, Sycamore, Oak, Larch and a small amount of Elm. 
– Sawn planks of many species including Ash, Oak, Sycamore and Larch (can be sawn into waney edge cladding)
– I can also quarter saw logs for high quality ‘dimensional’ timber if required.
07801990053

“This consultation seeks feedback on some of the decisions regarding the first stage of implementing the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is part of a wider consultation process taking place until the end of February to inform a policy paper which will outline the details of how the UK plans to implement the Convention. This survey is being run by the UK government but has been developed and agreed with the devolved administrations which have responsibility for their own heritage policy. We explore the definition and criteria of intangible cultural heritage in sections below, but for background information and further detail, we recommend the UNESCO website for the Convention.”

If you haven’t paid your subs for 2024 please do that now. We’ll be adjusting the mailing list at the end of this month (not to be pedantic, but because we pay your NCFed membership there is a cost to keeping you on the list) so if you don’t want to fall out of the loop please get this sorted now. Thanks for your support, which is vital to the continuation of any work that CANW is able to deliver.

If your old standing order has been collected already then you’ll have paid ‘part‘ of the 2024 subs due, so you’ll need to top up. E.g. if you paid £15 by standing order for a single membership to the old account then please pay the additional £10 to the new account below (If it was a joint membership then it’s an extra £15):

2024 subs rates are:
Single £25
Joint £35

Please head over to our Membership page for payment details.

Meet at 18:00 for food, chat & social, meeting starts at 19:00, followed by friendly vibes & tunes

We eagerly anticipate the return of the legendary CANW AGM. Now that we’re just about on our feet again we can bring all the glitz & glamour of previous years plus a bit more! 

We’re kindly hosted by Sprint Mill again, which I think is the best possible venue for it. If you haven’t been before you’re in for a treat as it is probably the most interesting, old, quirky, friendly venue in the Lake District, yet easy to overlook if you don’t already know it. (Find it on Google Maps)

We’re wanting to make this an interactive & participatory experience as we really want our members to have more involvement in what we do & how we do it. This is your opportunity to have a discussion about how we can all work together to brighten the prospects for the woodland crafts & coppice industry for the benefit of each & every one of us. We also need your feedback as members as to what you want us to be doing on your behalf going forwards…

It will also be a great opportunity for networking & meeting other members, so if you’re new to CANW then this is definitely for you. If you’re an old hand then you’ll know how good these events have been in the past & won’t want to miss out.

• There will be a raffle (please bring some relevant wood/craft/tool related items to donate to it!)
• There will be a bring & buy coppice/craft tools & craft work sale (please bring some things to sell – you get all the cash!)
• There will be a ‘Jacobs Join’ buffet (please bring some food & something to eat it off!)
• There will be music (please bring an instrument so we can have a good old session!)
• There will (hopefully) be a quiz (tbc still, but please bring a pencil anyway, just in case there is one!)
• There will be friendly faces & good company (so please bring yourself along!)

We also need some help on the committee going forwards, so there are opportunities to really get involved, influence direction & help everyone do good stuff in the woods. Not huge onerous tasks, but if a few people do a little bit to help then we can achieve great things together…

Can’t wait to see you there!

Starting 09:30am.

If you intend to come please contact Ian Taylor ([email protected]) so that he knows to expect you.

Jobs are likely to include:

• More boardwalk repairs
• Some steps need replacing
• Clearing drainage on the Byway
• Clearing the big windblow fir (looks a bit Lawson Cyprussy) by the byway
• Checking fences

All CANW members are invited to attend, help out, pop down & meet people, get involved with & contribute to the management of the amazing woodland. (Find it on Google Maps).

Being on the CANW committee is a great way of being fully integrated into the heart of the coppice industry. You don’t even need to be a coppice worker (although a belief in the value of it is probably a prerequisite). Meetings are usually surprisingly fun & inspiring. It isn’t about becoming a cog in a machine so much as an opportunity to bring your own ideas to help to shape & steer the organisation to achieve more for the sustainable relationships between people and woodlands through craft, heritage and biodiversity. Please jump on board!

Treasurer

CANW is in need of a treasurer ASAP. Many thanks to Louis who has held the role for more years than I can remember. It’s not hugely onerous nowadays as getting a proper bank account has vastly reduced the workload. Probably 1/2 hr a week would cover it as an average, mainly just recording & income & spends. There may be a flurry of activity at key times such as around Weekend In The Woods. If you have basic record keeping (spreadsheet) skills & willingness to be an integral part of the committee and can spare a bit of time please do get in touch so we can discuss further.

NCFed Rep

We also need a new NCFed Representative as Melanie Fryer has accepted the role of NCFed Secretary and therefore will be relinquishing her CANW role (although she will remain on the committee ‘without portfolio’). Congratulations to Melanie, and many many thanks for her very diligent work in the role. She’ll be an asset to NCFed.

Please let us know if you are interested in taking up the role & we can discuss further.

Emails to [email protected]

So, as ever, Subs are due on 1st Jan. The fees have changed, as have the bank details, so please read below.

Many thanks to each of you who fed back with regards to the proposed fees. 20 out of 20 respondents were in favour, so we are proceeding as follows:

Single membership: £25.00

Joint membership: £35.00

(These are now the only two categories of membership)

Please pay by BACS to the following account:

NatWest Business Current Account: TTs Coppice Association (N W)

Account Number: 20809336

Sort Code: 01-00-61

Reference: Please put your name + “subs” as the reference so we know who’s paid & what you paid for!

Note: if you forget to amend your old standing order then the old fee will be collected by Cumberland BS in line with your previous instruction. Whilst we do still have access to the antiquated account, frankly I hope never to have to have anything to do with it ever again so there will likely be some delay in identifying your ‘partial’ payment and subsequent reinstatement on the membership list, followed by being hounded for the top-up fee!!!

Many thanks to those of you who have already paid for 2024 ahead of time.