Woodturners carve out plans for 25 more years

Burcot Woodturners celebrated the club’s 25th anniversary since first being affiliated to the AWGB (Association of Woodturners of Great Britain).

The event on April 6th was attended by more than 50 members and guests, including representatives from the AWGB, to help celebrate the milestone.

Formed by professional woodturner Richard Barnes at Burcot Forge in 1997, the club was officially affiliated to the AWGB in April 1998. Shortly after that it moved its meetings to Burcot Village Hall, which has been its home ever since.

During the evening members had the use of a club lathe and the club pole lathe, to practice their turning skills on and learn new techniques. There was an extensive display of members work, along with a slide show of photographs from the history of the club, which ran throughout the evening.

Members had the opportunity to have a go at a technical competition, which involved changing the jaws on chuck, there was a sale of tools, and the usual club raffle.

The club ethos of ‘a cuppa, a biscuit, and a chat’ was, for one night, replaced by ‘a cuppa, a slice of cake, and the sharing of stories from the last 25 years.

Club president, John Smith, thanked everyone for coming and said that it was a fantastic evening for the club to mark its 25th anniversary. He added that he was proud that the club was going from strength to strength, with new members joining each month and a new website along with Facebook and Instagram pages.

Burcot Woodturners is a friendly club and welcomes anyone who has an interest in woodturning to their meetings. Whether they are just starting out in the hobby, are novices or experienced turners, everyone is welcome.

Club meetings are a mixture of ‘hands-on’ evenings, where members can use the club lathes, and woodturning demonstrations by professional demonstrators. Members also attend various events in the local area to promote woodturning, offer woodturning demonstrations and to sell pieces that they have made.

The club meets on the first Thursday of each month in Burcot Village Hall at 7.15pm and you can find out more at www.burcotwoodturners.com