Category: News/Updates

Weekend In The Woods needs your help!

We’ve still got lots of Weekend In The Woods tickets left, sales are not going as fast as we have hoped. Please, if you are able, could you share it through your social media channels, or send to any other likely places? We really need to sell out to cover our costs, so it’s going to need a big push. Any help you can offer in promoting it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Weekend in the Woods 2024

Moss & Heights Spring Woods FUN day! Wednesday, 1st May

All CANW members are invited to a “FUN DAY” in the woods. We’re hoping to revitalise these events by making them more interesting. There will probably be some real work to do, but there will also be opportunities to learn about coppice, woodland management, heritage crafts etc. & meet lovely knowledgeable people.

Not sure exactly what is on the agenda yet but it might well involve oak bark peeling for leather tanning, which is hugely enjoyable to do.

Organised by Bill Hogarth Memorial Apprenticeship Trust (BHMAT)

Contact Ian Taylor directly if you intend to come: [email protected] / 07813 696161 

Additional oak bark peeling day at Moss & Heights Spring Woods Saturday11th May

If you can’t make the mid-week day then how about a weekend day? Or come to both! Our chairperson Dan Sumner will be peeling more oak from Helen’s old coupe. Again, all members are welcome to attend. Please contact Dan if you want to come to this one: [email protected]

Asian Hornet News (Thanks to Melanie Fryer for this summary)

The National Bee Unit has declared four risk areas where there will be intensive spring queen trapping following last season’s finds of 72 nests in the UK. During March 1,000 traps will be set, one trap per square kilometre, in 5km zones around nests that were found last season. The areas are in South East Kent, South West Kent, , East Sussex, Plymouth and Yarm in North Yorkshire. Local beekeepers in these areas are encouraged to set their own selective traps.
As ever, any Asian hornets should be reported immediately, preferably with a photo, via the Asian Hornet Watch App.
Alongside the information provided by the NBU please note a lone Asian Hornet was identified and reported in Preston on March 20th. The warehouse where it was found has regular wagon deliveries from France. A bee inspector attended, set traps and is monitoring closely.
The main concern is that the Hornets are not particularly seeking out bee hives. By the time they find them they will have already destroyed the local insect population over a considerable distance.

Woodland Pioneers 2024

Dates have just been released for this year’s Woodland Pioneers organised by BHMAT. 

Booking is here: http://www.coppiceapprentice.org.uk/pioneersbook.php

Watch this space:

Two interesting things in the pipeline, for which I’ve very little information about as yet! But I’ll update you all as & when more info comes through:

1. A new tannery is in the process of being setting up & intending to use oak bark. Demand for oak bark might rise in the near future, & hopefully the prices will rise accordingly.

2. We are in the process of trying to sort out a training day on making thatching spars. It will probably be run at Sprint Mill, hopefully this summer. Details still to be arranged but bare it in mind…

 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

Head over to MailChimp to view the latest addition of the CANW Newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/a7301d0ce145/a-quick-hello-and-a-story-of-earthburns-12683003?e=f13c6a5272

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]