The weather could not have been much different from the two preceding weeks and this had a knock on effect on the attendance, which was well down on the last few years. The Woodlanders’ stand was manned by Jo, Mark and myself and apart from trying to keep dry, we were making bird feeders and tool scrapers to bolster the stock.

Compared to previous years, takings and interest were down but I reckon this was due to the weather but as always events at West Grinstead are fun.

This show is a very enjoyable one for the Woodlanders as we have a chance to catch up with old friends and have a chat and in some cases learn some new tricks (more about this in the next newsletter).

Let’s hope this show has a revamp next year and the crowds return to see what the timber industry has to offer.

by Chris Burchell-Collins

Hodshrove Woods are on the Moulsecoomb estate in Brighton and are managed in conjunction with a forest and garden project.  This piece of land is sited between two lots of housing and had previously been an overgrown area, which was used primarily for fly tipping.  It was due to the hard work of a few local people that it was cleaned up
and cut back, with the aim of making it an open space for the nearby residents to use. For those who are not familiar with Brighton, the Moulsecoomb estate has a certain reputation, which is not a good one. However, various
organisations including the council are working hard to improve things for everyone.

The purpose of the event was to encourage the residents to use the space and show what could be done. The Woodlanders were invited to demonstrate and teach the local youngsters about the pole-lathe with the aim to encourage them to get involved with similar things in the area. I had been warned that the site might be a little bit difficult but when we turned up it was still a bit of surprise as most of the area was set on a steep slope.
However, never ones to be put off, Jo and I set about putting up the pole-lathe and shave-horse. The lathe needed a few pieces of wood under the front to level it up; also I had to put in a few pegs, some of which were made on site.

Once secure, the lathe was soon up and running, and on the shave-horse we were making a few plant labels. Slowly the children came in and were asking lots of questions and some did have a go, with varying degrees of success.

The whole event was interesting and a bit of an eye opener but it was good to just go to an event, doing work and teaching without having to set up everything else. Hopefully we might have inspired a couple of the children to build a pole-lathe or shave-horse at the other project which will be a good outcome all round.

By Chris Burchell-Collins

It was the first time that this show had been held. The purpose of the event was to promote local green businesses and to show the public what they can do to reduce their impact on the planet. There were various stands ranging from food stalls, clothing, recycling and many more, including the Tottington Woodlanders. The site had been divided up into zones and we had a prime site near the entrance, in the Earth Zone. We tried to have a theme with our stand, selling goods either made from wood or mostly recycled items or environmental products like the bird feeders. The idea was to show that you could have decorative items like the various flowers we produce from tin cans, power cables and wood or that you could use a bird feeder to help the bird population to survive, I had also been talked into producing some kind of entrance arch-cum-sign, which got me thinking. So after a lot of sketching and pondering I came up with the idea to combine some of our wood, recycled pallets and other recycled bits and pieces (mostly the waste from the flower production). Between Jo and myself we made two signs spelling out Earth Zone in cables, wire and tin cans, which also were decorated with butterflies and flowers. I might be a little biased, but I think these signs looked very good, and so did most people.

On Saturday, Jo and i were joined by Geraldine, our Low Weald Ranger and Maggie and Dave. As with most of the recent events an early start was the order of the day and we arrived about eight o’clock Once the stall was set up, my next task was to put up the two signs, and knowing that I needed to sink the posts about two feet into the ground I came tooled up. With the help of the team we managed to get both signs up and secured.

The weather forecast for the weekend had not filled us with joy as both days were down to be wet and windy. Rain is one thing, but the wind just makes everything really hard work. Leaflets blow about; the shelter moves and needs lashing down. However, Saturday was far from wet and windy – blowy and very sunny was a better description. There was a steady trickle of visitors but not the numbers we had thought there would be. Whether this was the first sign of the credit crunch, or the fact that there was the British Grand Prix and tennis at Wimbledon or perhaps a combination of factors I don’t know. However, we did manage to make some products which helped our stock levels; the sales weren’t bad, there was some interest in our display and what we do and we also had some fun.

Sunday started fine but overnight the wind had got stronger and was still blowing, the sky was not blue and clear like Saturday, I doubt you could have anything more different from one day to the next.

On Sunday Brian, Jo and myself left early so we could get the stall set up, however we didn’t have the shelter to put up as this was left up overnight (we hoped). When we arrived it had just started to rain a little but the sight that greeted us was of many gazebos in ruins or many shattered pieces as the wind had done its best to scatter them around. We were very lucky as our heavy metal shelter was still standing and all that was required was to lash it down using some old computer cable and some of our wooden tent pegs.

It was amazing how many of the stall holders called upon us for some help, whether this was to borrow a hammer or mallet, or in some cases make use of the good old fashion sturdy wooden tent pegs that Brian has been making at recent shows. In fact I exchanged some manual labour and tent pegs for a buzz ball (quality chocolate, fruit and nuts in a ball and packed full of energy), needless to say their gazebo stayed up for the rest of the day.

From the start the weather just went downhill, the wind got up and down came the rain which was being blown across Preston Park horizontally.  A few hardy souls braved the elements to come out and have a look round, including some people from Storrington who are looking to set up a group to manage some land in Ashington, so we were able to relay our experiences both good and bad to them. It is very satisfying when you are able to help other people who are thinking about getting involved in similar activities, as hopefully they can learn from us.

The team on Sunday did the Woodlanders proud as we stuck it out right to the end which in fact was the right thing to do as late on in the afternoon the rain stopped and the sun came and combined with the wind it helped to dry things out before we packed away. Now those who had been paying close attention to the early evening local news on Meridian TV on the following Tuesday would have seen a fleeting glimpse of Brian and yours truly working away. Well, I am reliably informed, but I was busy elsewhere and never saw it. No need to worry, we will not be letting our new found fame go to our head, however if anyone wishes to buy a pint for a couple of TV stars then we wouldn’t wish to offend them.

Needless to say when we all arrived home I could imagine that sigh of relief could be heard in Brighton and never has a warm bath and hot dinner in July been so welcome before.

More information.

By Chris Burchell-Collins

Most of the Friday on the eve of the event was spent getting everything together, even though it is only just down the road for most of us the preparation is still the same, ensuring you don’t forget that tool or item which you will need first thing. The day dawned fine and sunny and in no time at all the front lawn of Apple Tree Cottage looked more akin to
a woodsman’s clearing than a picturesque Sussex garden in the summertime.

On the Saturday, Malcolm manfully worked the pole-lathe, turning out dibbers and making a mess and getting a load of verbal insults from all areas (part of the normal banter when the Woodianders are out and about). I was busy making bird feeders, flowers or bullrushes depending on what was required from the sales team. Phil Knight was working away
on some walking sticks and ensuring his son Malcolm kept to his task, whilst Jo and Helen manned the sales table and order book, with occasional time off spent cutting out tin can flower petals, Mark also brought along his moth trap to show the public how it worked and tell them all about moths. I am surprised that he had the courage after his last visit to help at Gardens and Arts. His story has already entered into Woodlanders history. Mark had been out the previous
afternoon and evening watching England play football and was the worse for wear the next day, and with a monumental hangover, went for a lie down in the churchyard opposite. I think he felt closer to the dead than the living that day!

We all had a treat as there was a wedding in St Peters church, which is opposite our stand, and as our kind hosts where providing the cars for the  happy couple we had a good view of everything going on. As the bride was Chinese, it was something to see traditional dress from the far east being worn at a wedding in a Sussex village. As the photographs were being taken in the churchyard, the Morris Men who had been dancing at another venue came by and decided to do an impromptu dance which they perform for weddings. There can’t be many people who have seen Morris Men dancing in a churchyard at a wedding whilst doing green woodwork. After a very eventful and busy day, packing up time seemed to come round very quickly, thankfully we where able to leave some of the stuff at Apple Tree Cottage which helped both in the evening and setting up next day. When it came to tallying up the takings and looking at the order book over a cold beer I could not believe what a successful day we had had.

Having had a good night’s sleep, we were raring to go next morning, and with the sun out it makes you keen to get set-up. Sunday saw a change of personnel with Brian and Dave joining us for the whole day along with Maggie. Malcolm and co. kindly covered a slot around lunchtime when I was able to sneak off to another venue where I was exhibiting some sculpture in a garden. Jo and Dave were allowed time off for a ploughman’s lunch at Hackett’s (well, it was his Father’s Day treat). You have to allow the staff a few perks now and again, I suppose. Our setting up time clashes with the arrival of the worshippers at St Peter’s church for morning service. There is no other show where we are setting out our stand to the sound of church bells.
We all took turns to man the pole-lath during the day, and between us we made more bird-feeders, flowers and bullrushes. The bullrushes were so in demand that we even had to sell them without coating them in linseed oil. In fact we had a couple who came back on the Sunday morning who had ordered two sets to take away on the Saturday. They were visiting friends in Henfield for the weekend. We also had another customer who will be taking their bullrush set back to Ireland later this year.

Again the day just seemed to rush by and it wasn’t long before we were virtually all sold out and cleared out of leaflets, and low on business cards. I find it quite extraordinary when you talk to people at Henfield Gardens & Arts how far they have travelled to spend the day in a small Sussex village looking at the gardens and art on offer. This event is similar to Springwatch: a lot of work leading up to it, very busy and hectic when you are there but you always go away looking forward to next year’s event.

By Chris Burchell-Collins

We arrived around 8am and the sun was already shining, also with a change of organisers the layout was different to previous years. The Woodlanders were sited at the top of the park both in and out of the Woodland marquee. No, we were not being awkward or indecisive; we were demonstrating outside and the displays and sales items were in the
marquee.

I reckon with the number of shows we have done, the volunteers now all know how to set up as the time taken seems to get less and we are always one of the first exhibitors to be ready for the public. Brian, Geraldine, Dave and myself were busy making bullrushes, bird feeders and flowers, while Jo, Maggie, Wendy and Kay cut up metal flower petals, looked after the sales items and provided help where it was needed. We also had a chance to catch up with Mark Schofield (you will know him as our website designer). Mark is currently studying and brought along a moth trap and some occupants who had been trapped the previous evening. The Woodlanders could be rightly proud of the display we put on and I reckon that between the start and end of the show we had people looking at our stand virtually all the time. It seems that the credit crunch had not yet hit the sales and this show was no exception as we could only just about keep up with the demand for bullrushes, butterflies and flowers.

The show is also a chance for groups, companies and charities involved in environmental issues to show the public what they can do to help. An example next to us was some sheep which were being shorn; but these sheep also provide an important function in grazing various areas which help with preserving certain habitats. Also one memory I have of the event is the marine exhibition in the big marquee and the stunning pictures of life, which can be seen in our seas around Britain. I think we all tend to forget too easily what is beneath the waves.

This was a long hard day but very enjoyable and it is a show we always come away from looking forward to next year.

By Chris Burchell-Collins

We had people making bird feeders and plant labels aiming to build up stock ready for the forthcoming larger events. I set about making a woven screen from hazel, to fulfill an order. Perhaps my planning was not very good as I choose
to weave hazel rods in a walled garden when the sun was beating down, however I was pleased with the outcome and it was delivered on the way home.

A very successful and enjoyable day was had by all the volunteers and got us in training for the next few weeks.

By Chris Burchell-Collins