TRADITIONAL COUNTRYSIDE SKILLS COME TO SHERFORD
Residents will have the opportunity to experience traditional countryside crafts this spring, with a hedge laying competition and coppicing workshop taking place near Sherford.
Hedge laying competition - 21 February
The Devon Rural Skills Trust is hosting its annual hedge laying competition on Saturday 21 February at King George V Memorial Playing Field, PL9 8AR, adjacent to Sherford. Organised by Jess Jordan from the National Trust, the event will see teams of experts and beginners compete between 9am and 2.30pm, with prizes awarded between 3.30pm and 5pm.
Spectator tickets are free and available through Eventbrite, which helps organisers plan for attendance numbers - book here. The playing field can be accessed by car from Haye Road or on foot from Hercules Road.
Further information is available from www.drst.org.uk
Coppicing workshop - 21 March
The Friends of Sherford Country Park (FoSCP) is offering local residents the opportunity to learn the traditional woodland craft of coppicing at a free workshop on Saturday 21 March.
Led by James Dyson, an expert in woodland rural crafts, the all-day session will run from 10am to 4pm in Sherford Country Park. Participants will learn the heritage technique of coppicing and how to create products from the coppiced wood, which will be available to purchase at the end of the workshop.
The workshop is free for FoSCP members, though booking is essential as places are limited. Those attending should bring drinks and a packed lunch for the day, and wear sturdy footwear, outdoor or gardening clothes, and gardening gloves.
Regular volunteers who can attend on Wednesday mornings will have the opportunity to join an additional coppicing session with James on 11 March to prepare the area and begin the work.
To register interest, residents should contact FoSCP as soon as possible, preferably by Friday 13 February. Priority will be given to people living in or near Sherford, with the event opening to wider registration from 14 February.
Participants should meet in the Sherford Country Park car park at the start of the session.
For more information or to register interest, please email: foscp25@gmail.com
