The Hampshire Coppice Craftsmens Group

"Putting Life into your Landscape"

Phill With the LHI display

Saturday 17th May 2008 saw the first public deployment of the complete LHI shelter. We had two “pram hood” helters
bracketing the gazebo – it felt like having a big top all to ourselves! Erecting the kit on Friday afternoon was a bit of an
adventure. The first shelter went up easy – we’d done it before.

Adding the gazebo needed the designer – there has to be a first time for everything! Locating the second shelter was a
precision guesswork job – another first. The best bit is that the gazebo anchors to the corners of the shelters and needs just the centre pole to increase the floor space by 50 percent.

Saturday dawned typically cold and windy but we were soon all busy setting up shop in the new premises. Huw Edwards had brought half a coppice (less the stools) along to demonstrate threading out and finished the day with some pea sticks and a pile of brash. On the way he sold bean poles, pea sticks, a couple of walking stick blanks and supplied a few rods to the hurdle makers.

Simon Farndon and Dave Curtis brought their moulds and turned a truckload of rods into show quality hurdles. The trouble with Sparsholt as a sales venue is the distance visitors have to walk back to the car park; for these guys a good day means “ran out of business cards!”

two hurdle makers discus their art

Les and Toni Brannon, as always, had a variety of easily portable products on show; Les demonstrated rake-making and Dave Lister made a lot of spars. Tony Hales had his gate hurdle making kit on display.

There was good visitor interest in the artefacts that are part of the display. The bentwood chair was greatly admired and the barrels and cushion were good talking points. And the barrels are essential tools for erecting and dismantling the shelters. This day out was good practice for the New Forest Show where the signs are the HCCG will have a good turnout – looking forward to it!

Tony Hales