Teaching pottery and wood turning, and creating unique ceramic, wood turned and silk gifts & art
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SPOON CARVING WORKSHOP
October 2024
at the
Fenland Orchard Project
We were asked by Andrew Callaghan from the Fenland Orchard Project to teach a spoon carving workshop at the orchards. The workshop is part of the initiative funded by heritage lottery funding awarded to the CP Learning Trust for the Fenland Orchard Project
We had a fab bunch of students come along and enjoy the art of spoon carving in the autumn sunshine.
Students learnt how to use a spoke shave and a hooked knife to create their very own large spoon or spatula. The morning flew by, with everyone creating something to be proud of.
We have more group spoon carving workshops scheduled for 2025 here in the Blended Monkey studios, at the Haddenham Arts Centre and at the Farmland Museum in Waterbeach - see dates above.
MARSHLAND ST. JAMES
WOMEN'S INSTITUTE
SEPTEMBER 2024
Talk, Woodturning Demonstration & "Have A Go" Session
Simon & I received a warm welcome from the ladies at the Marshland St. James WI group.
We'd been invited to give a talk about what we do here at Blended Monkey followed by Simon giving a brief woodturning demonstration - turning a honey dipper that he then presented to the group as a raffle prize - and then inviting members to have a go at woodturning themselves.
We were really encouraged by the enthusiasm in the room and also by how many ladies wanted to have a go!
The group meet on the first Tuesday of every month at the Jubilee Hall, Marshland St James, PE14 8JB.
We hope the ladies had a lovely time learning a little about the art of woodturning and having a go themselves.
EASTON COLLEGE
NORWICH
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
Providing Green Woodworking Workshops
We were invited to teach three days of green woodworking workshops at Easton College - 2 days for students and 1 day for teachers.
It was really great of the Outdoor Leadership department to let us use their fabulous outdoor and indoor spaces for the three days. Luckily, the weather was kind enough for us to be out in the elements for the first 2 days and then we set up inside the wonderful School Barn for the third day as it was a bit wet and chilly outside.
It was good to get to know some of the students. We taught Agric Interns on the first day, Ticket students on the second day and then staff and some of the Arbor students on the third.
The Agric Interns produced mushrooms, dibbers and rolling pins. Our Ticket crew all seemed to favour rolling pins, and some of the staff on day 3 really embraced the pole lathe, producing some cool shapes on the lathe (beads and coves) and even a "captive ring"!
Each day involved Simon teaching the students how to use the three main pieces of equipment:
- the axe block and axe
- the shave horse and draw knife
- the pole lathe
All the students really focused and it's evident from the feedback that they enjoyed their experience.
Thanks again for inviting us Easton!
Check out the Easton College website HERE and see what fab facilities they have to offer!
LITTLE MIRACLES CHARITY
FENLAND GROUP IN MARCH
FEBRUARY 2024
Providing a Pottery Workshop
It was lovely to return to the Fenland Little Miracles charity, this time at the March Cricket Club, where I got to meet a new group of creative young people.
The pottery session focused on the coiling method. The participants each had a large ball of clay they could use to make various pots and ornaments. I've taken all the creations back to my studio to be dried completed before fired in the kiln. I'll be returning the fired pieces to the group so they can paint them with acrylic paints.
We offer woodturning & pottery as creative therapy experiences in our Blended Monkey Crafts studios in Upwell; we're also happy to visit charities, care homes and schools when time allows so we can demonstrate our crafts and give others a chance to have a go too
The Little Miracles Charity was founded in 2010.
Its childcare teams, family support workers and counsellors provide activities, training, advice and safe spaces to families who have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions.
WARDY HILL
WOMEN'S INSTITUTE
FEBRUARY 2024
Talk, Woodturning Demonstration & "Have A Go" Session
It was lovely to be asked to visit the Wardy Hill Women's Institute to talk a little about what we do here at Blended Monkey, for Simon to demonstrate a simple woodturning project, and for members of the group to have a go at woodturning themselves.
We received a lovely warm welcome and a cup of tea (always good!).
The group meet on the first Tuesday of every month at the Coveney Village Hall and you can contact them via their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WardyHillWI if you live in the area and would like to join or call 01353 778825.
We hope the ladies enjoyed having a go at a the wonderful craft of woodturning.
LITTLE MIRACLES CHARITY
FENLAND GROUP IN WISBECH
JANUARY 2024
Providing Woodturning & Pottery Workshops
It was great to be asked to return to the Fenland Little Miracles charity group at the Oasis Centre in Wisbech.
Some of the members chose to participate in the woodturning workshop with Simon - and it was lovely to see some familiar faces from our visit in November - while others opted to have a pottery session with me.
The pottery session focused on the coiling method. The participants had a large ball of clay they could use to make various pots and hanging ornaments. These will be dried completed and then fired in the kiln. I'll be returning the fired pieces to the group so they can paint them with acrylic paints.
The woodturning workshop was structured so that each participant got to have enough time on the lathe to make something to take home with them - whether a practice piece showing their "beads" and "coves" or a finished item, such as a mushroom.
We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the guys again and I'll be returning next month to hold another pottery experience with the March group.
We offer woodturning & pottery as creative therapy experiences in our Blended Monkey Crafts studios in Upwell; we're also happy to visit charities, care homes and schools when time allows so we can demonstrate our crafts and give others a chance to have a go too
The Little Miracles Charity was founded in 2010.
Its childcare teams, family support workers and counsellors provide activities, training, advice and safe spaces to families who have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions.
LITTLE MIRACLES CHARITY
FENLAND GROUP IN WISBECH
NOVEMBER 2023
Visiting the Members & Providing a Woodturning Experience
It was really lovely to meet the members of the Fenland Little Miracles charity group in Wisbech last night - such a creative and inquisitive bunch of young people.
Simon gave a brief demonstration on how to use the tools, and then anyone who wanted to have a go at woodturning got the chance to do so, with Simon assisting where required.
The group enjoyed the session so much they've asked us to return - we're really looking forward to meeting the guys again in the future.
We offer woodturning & pottery as creative therapy experiences in our Blended Monkey Crafts studios in Upwell; we're also happy to visit charities, care homes and schools when time allows so we can demonstrate our crafts and give others a chance to have a go too
The Little Miracles Charity was founded in 2010.
Its childcare teams, family support workers and counsellors provide activities, training, advice and safe spaces to families who have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions.
HICKATHRIFT HOUSE: MEETING THE RESIDENTS - DECEMBER 2022
Visiting the Residents & Giving a Pole Lathe Demonstration
It was really lovely to meet the members of the Fenland Little Miracles charity group in Wisbech - such a creative and inquisitive bunch of young people.
Simon gave a brief demonstration on how to use the tools, and then anyone who wanted to have a go at woodturning got the chance to do so, with Simon assisting where required.
The group enjoyed the session so much they've asked us to return - we're really looking forward to meeting them again in the future.
We offer woodturning & pottery as creative therapy experiences in our Blended Monkey Crafts studios in Upwell; we're also happy to visit charities, care homes and schools when time allows so we can demonstrate our crafts and give others a chance to have a go too.
The Little Miracles Charity was founded in 2010.
Its childcare teams, family support workers and counsellors provide activities, training, advice and safe spaces to families who have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions.
EMMAUS: SUPPORTING THE MAKERS
Matt Spends A Day With Blended Monkey
We welcomed Matt from Emmaus Norfolk and Waveney into our Blended Monkey studios where he had a day getting to grips with the basics of woodturning. It was a pleasure to teach Matt and hopefully help him on his woodworking journey.
“My day at Blended Monkey was amazing. It was a very well thought out and executed lesson. Simon is very knowledgeable. It was a friendly and fun day!” Matt
MATT & EMMAUS
“Emmaus is an organisation which houses and supports people who have struggled with their mental and emotional health and become homeless as a result of those struggles. There are 30 communities around the country supporting approximately 8 or 9 hundred people at any given time. New communities are being established regularly.
Matt has been at Emmaus Norfolk and Waveney since 2015. He became homeless following serious drug addiction. He now abstains from drugs completely and lives and works in our community.
Matt did wood and metal working in college and has worked as a carpenter’s assistant on building sites in the past. He has always had a keen interest in working with wood and metal and does a lot of work within Emmaus Norfolk and Waveney. He builds shelves and units for our shop and also renovates old furniture to sell in our Ditchingham outlet. Matt carries out a huge amount of practical work in the community and has been expressing an interest for quite some time about advancing his knowledge of wood and metal work and learning new skills. We have been very pleased to get him hooked up with Blended Monkey to learn how to use a lathe and take his wood working to another level.“
Séamus Fox – Residential Support Worker at Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney
"NO HOMELESS PROBLEM AND OTHER POEMS"
Book Written by Séamus Fox
Séamus wrote the book “No Homeless Problem and Other Poems” because he wanted people who have never been homeless or who have never known homeless people to search in their souls for shreds of compassion.
The book is a compelling compilation of poems written from stories collected from hundreds of other people who, just like Séamus, found themselves on the streets until they found a home at Emmaus.
You can purchase the book directly from the publisher here
https://arkbound.com/product/no-homeless-problem-by-seamus-fox/
and all proceeds from the sale of the book go towards helping the charity to continue with its amazing work.
