Rural skills

Brightwater Greenwood

This project was visited by our Support Officer, who was totally amazed by the whole experience.  Not only has the project made use of a redundant barn, In West Bexington, but it deliverers the most amazing experience for user groups who wouldn’t normally get the chance to do such woodworking activities.  This centre offers green woodworking which is therapeutic and skill building for all types of user groups.  All taster sessions have been fully booked and continue taking more regular bookings.

RushWorks

RushWorks is a project researching, celebrating and reviving the traditional rural craft of ‘rushing' which was practised in the Sturminster Newton and Marnhull areas until the 1950s.

With funding from the Dorset AONB Sustainable Development Fund, the project began harvesting rushes from the River Stour four years ago. They soon learned the most effective techniques of harvesting and advice from Dorset Wildlife Trust ensured it didn't disrupt wildlife. The first harvest generated much local interest and a Rush Festival was organised to celebrate it as part of the Sturminster Cheese Festival.

Traditionally these riverside rushes were used to make baskets, mats, chair seats and beehives. RushWorks has set up all sorts of activities to revive this craft and spread the skills around. Local school children have taken part with great enthusiasm - crafting a rush animal proved a great medium to find out about the river, its wildlife and the history of rush working. RushWorks found that teaching rush making to children has echos of the past - records show that formal rush work classes were run for children in the early 1900s.

Together with written records, video clips and stories from local rush working families, they are piecing together a fascinating picture of their rush working past. Rush work days have also been held for adults with great success and will help sustain the rush work craft well into the future.

Stone carving

The Purbeck Keystone Project was set up in 2007, funded by the Heritage lottery Fund to celebrate the unique Purbeck landscape. A part of the Project was to revive the traditional skill of stone carving which together with stone quarrying has contributed to the character of the landscape for many centuries. The Dorset AONB Sustainable Development Fund supported workshops in local schools to teach children the basic skills and also taster sessions at various locations throughout Purbeck. Those interested in taking stone carving can enrol in courses at the newly revamped Burngate Stone Centre.

In addition, letter cutting of six special stones by a local artist Anna Bowen, were incorporated into a dry stone wall at Winspit for walkers on the National Trail to enjoy.

Dry stone walling

Dorset Countryside rangers set up the ongoing South West Coast Path Dry Stone Walling Project to train local volunteers and apprentices in this rewarding rural skill. Liaising with the Purbeck Keystone Project, hundreds of metres of dry stone wall have been repaired as a result of these training days. These can be admired by the thousands of walkers using the South West Coast Path every year.

Worth Matravers Parish Council have also repaired and rebuilt their local walls, focusing on a boundary wall of their recreation area where many families can admire the work. All stone was donated by the local quarry to make this challenging project possible.