About us

To get in touch, contact Mace or Carolyn :

Phone: 01308 485465

E-mail: greenwood@brightwater.org.uk

Brightwater Greenwood Ltd. is a workers co-operative offering a range of woodland skills, crafts and training. We formed as a limited company in 2006 bringing to this new venture many years’ training and industry experience.

At the moment we comprise two members who are workers, and we also work closely with other local co-operatives, craftspeople and youth groups.

 

From a forestry and landscaping background, Mace pursued his passion for trees, training in Arboriculture and Tree Surgery at Merrist Wood College. After running his own successful tree surgery business, for six years, Mace sold up in order to extend and develop his skills in sustainable, ecological  woodland management and related activities. Further training and qualifications in coppicing, hedge laying and green woodwork gained at the Greenwood Centre, Coalbrookdale, led to a  mini-apprenticeship with Mike Abbot, Herefordshire’s green woodworker and master chair-maker, who helped Mace develop and refine his green woodwork, pole lathe and chair making skills. Mace now pursues a traditional seasonal woodland livelihood; working the woods and hedge laying over the winter season; and utilizing the fruits of his labour in the summer months, creating turned items, chairs and yurts. As a professional green woodwork tutor and demonstrator Mace actively encourages others to share in the therapeutic joys of the tree-to-product process on a year-round basis.

 Carolyn trained and worked in horticulture, and has many years’ practical experience. She has long been interested in the many uses of our native plant species, and shares some of this knowledge in the popular ‘Tree of the Month’ column for Guy Mallinson’s e-magazine, which has also been featured in other publications.

Carolyn is involved in local horticultural therapy projects, and is building links to promote green woodwork and rural crafts for a range of client groups. She has also trained in green wood work skills at the Greenwood Centre, and makes and sews yurts. She has assisted at Forest School sessions, and is training to be a Forest School Leader.  Brightwater Greenwood is currently running Forest School sessions through local youth groups, and plan to roll out this innovative woodland learning experience in local schools from September 2007.