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Billsborrow wood turning club raises £20,000 for upkeep of stately home

Posted on - 3rd January, 2023 - 12:00pm | Author - | Posted in - Charities, Preston News, Wyre Locations
Visitor looking at the products in the shop Pic: National Trust
Visitor looking at the products in the shop Pic: National Trust

Members of a wood turning club in Bilsborrow have raised £20,000 by making almost 1,800 items from fallen and felled wood at Sizergh near Kendal. 

The income supports the work of the National Trust who look after the medieval manor and its estate, which has been home to the Strickland family for 26 generations.

Since March 2022, members of the Red Rose Woodturning Club have turned mice, mushrooms, keyrings, doorstops, bowls and pens, which have been bought by visitors to the National Trust shop at Sizergh.

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They are all made from fallen or felled wood from the gardens and estate, including ash, apple, cherry, beech, yew and oak. 

The mushrooms are the work of Malcolm Smith, from Halton, Lancaster, who, along with his wife Hilary, have been volunteering in the gardens at Sizergh since 2010. 

Malcolm is a member of the Red Rose Woodturning Club, which he joined after retiring. The club has roughly 80 members.

Malcolm took up wood-turning when he inherited his late father’s lathe and since then he has enjoyed developing his skills in this craft.

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Malcolm Smith in front of Sizergh Castle with his favourite object to date
Malcolm Smith in front of Sizergh Castle with his favourite object to date

Malcolm explained how the idea of making products to sell came about.

He said: “Vicki Proctor, Sizergh’s retail manager, saw the work of the Red Rose Woodturners when the club was demonstrating here.

“She looked for items which could sell in the shop, under the condition that they must made from wood from the Sizergh estate.”

Alongside Malcolm, two other members of the club, Geoff and Harry, make mice, doorstops, pens and keyrings which are all sold in the shop.

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The talented turners have also scaled up their creations. They recently made six large dragonflies for the children’s wild play area.

Hilary McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust, praised the club’s work in her AGM speech last year. 

Hilary said: “Each summer Malcolm organises a wood turning week in the Great Barn, and he and his colleagues use wood from the Sizergh estate, to make these, tiny, adorable, wooden mice and mushrooms.

“Every penny of profit goes back to conservation at Sizergh, and each visitor takes a little bit of that special place back home to treasure.”

Anyone interested in joining or attending an event can find details on the Red Rose Woodturning Club website.

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