Ross Berry

Ross Berry is a self-employed, self taught blacksmith, having spent the last 14 years building up his skills.  He spent 6 years working for the Duke of Buccleuch at Drumlanrig Castle – where Kirkpatrick Macmillan (inventor of the first pedal cycle) worked as a blacksmith. He now works from both a modern forge and an ironage pit forge

Peter Jameson

Peter started off his working life as a carpenter and joiner (City and Guilds qualified and to keep up to date CSCS Registered). Having gone back to college he now works as a Building Surveyor five days a week - missing the feel of wood and the pleasure of working it he has developed a small scale Greenwood Products and Charcoal business as the ‘Saturday job’ since 1996.

Peter first came to Commonwork as a student in 1991 and has tutored short greenwood courses since 1998 working for Commonwork Land Trust, The Countryside Education Trust, Beaulieu and more recently Hampshire Wildlife Trust.

Peter is a member of Dorset Coppice Group, Committee Member of Hampshire Coppice Group and Dorset Local Group co-ordinator for the Association of Pole Lathe Turners and Green woodwork.  However, perhaps his most notable greenwood credential is growing up with oak and hazel over the back of the garden fence -  now having returned to the family home with his wife and two daughters he is seeing the trees he has known for 43 years come into bud and grow a bit more.  His father gave him an axe at 5 years old (under supervision) and he has been splitting firewood ever since.

The hay rake and besom course arises out of an old Estate carpenter from an Estate on the edge of the New Forest who, in the early days of his career, used to spend 2 weeks in June making and repairing hay rakes for theirs and the neighbouring farms (the combine and the bailer were late coming to this neck of the woods but stopped hay rake production in 1960).  He wanted to pass this knowledge on in case it was needed again and considered in 1992 this ‘new fangled greenwood enthusiast’ the ideal person.  Since then with moves in organic agriculture, resistance to soil compaction with heavy machinery, return to smaller fields Colin the Estate carpenter could be considered a head of his time not behind the times.

Alan Sage

Alan Sage has been making both traditional & contempory baskets for over five years. He spent a year working for two different trug companies in Herstmonceux before setting up his own business.

He has run & developed courses for a wide range of organisations, charities, schools, educational and community groups as well as making historical baskets for re-enactment groups, theatre productions and television companies. He has also created large & small scale works of art for both public & private view. In 2006 he formed Basketmakers South East to promote higher standards of workmanship and to encourage beginners into the trade.

John Shepherd

John Shepherd lives with his family on a smallholding in East Sussex, shared with various cattle, poultry and bees. He has always had an interest in the natural environment and outdoors, running variously related clubs while still at school. Starting as a volunteer at Bore Place, John moved on to demonstrating and then tutoring courses.

His special interest is industrial archaeology and historical land usage, and he is currently investigating the area in which he lives, a consequence of which is the re-instatement of fields, shaws and woodland rides which existed some 350 years ago.

He has been involved in woodland activities for over 15 years and has 10 years experience of producing, maintaining and delivering specialist courses, particularly associated with Small Scale Charcoal Production, Hedgelaying and Poultry keeping.

He also has experience in the following:

Deer Management
Meat Hygiene
Beekeeping
Farm Machinery Maintenance & Operation
Fencing
Haymaking
Hedge Laying
Poultry Management
Public Footpath Maintenance
Stock Management
Wild Flower Meadows
Woodland Management

John Waller

John has been involved with the environment, ecology, woodland management and conservation since 1990.  He originally volunteered with various conservation groups and was employed at Bore Place as a Conservation Officer to manage the 40 acres of woodlands and run the Green Wood Workshop.

He is a qualified tree surgeon and coppice-worker and makes a range of woodcraft products.  He set up his own business in 2000 and now runs courses and offers woodland advice and tree surgery services across Kent, Sussex and into South London.

In more recent years, John has become involved with many local schools, designing and building living willow structures including Dinosaur Feet, Space Pods and Starfish, to use both as outside classrooms and shade in the playground.

His particular areas of expertise include:

Woodland management and conservation
Making small woodlands work economically
Green wood in all its forms
Coppicing and tree felling
Hedgelaying
Tree Surgery
Hurdles
Continuous weave fencing
Living Willow Structures
Baskets
Garden Products
Chair and Furniture
Pole Lathe Turning

Mike Whiddett

Following a career as a chartered accountant and finance director, Mike wanted to spend more time in the great outdoors and has been helping out at Commonwork since 2004.  He grows fruit and vegetables, keeps chickens, bees and sheep, and then makes the most of his produce by pickling, preserving, juicing, fermenting and smoking it. Mike is also experienced in restoring and maintaining apple trees and has been juicing and cider making since 2006.