There are now 6 full-time members of the coop, each bringing a unique set of skills and experience to the group which helps us stay resilient and able to take on a wide and varied range of coppice, woodland and craft projects. But who are we?

It’s wonderful how quickly folks can pick up green woodworking techniques, given the right context. When we started the Carving Connections project in early September last year, most, if not all of the participants, had never held a chisel.

Working with cleft oak is one of our specialities here at The Coppice Co-op. Oak is such a wonderful material to work with, rich in colour and grain variation as well as being naturally durable outdoors due its high tannin content which makes it ideal for garden structures, fencing and gates. We were recently commissioned to make a gate for a lovely limestone cottage not too far from our yard and documented the process from log to finished gate which we’re happy to share here, complete with video.

Getting more people into the woods and interested in woodland management, coppicing and heritage crafts is hugely important to us here at The Coppice Co-op. Our project with Cumbria Woodlands, The Lake District National Park and Working Class Heroes is a great example of the work we can achieve when we collaborate.

Collaboration and co-operation are fundamental to the Coppice Co-op (the clues in the name!) - and we are chuffed that this ethos has come across strongly in our latest Woodland Engagement Project.