The passion to work creatively with wood is one that can take a few years to bubble to the surface.

For Chris Daborn, originally from Surrey, it took several years while he worked in IT for a major public sector organisation in Norfolk.

His speciality was geographic information systems which capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present spatial or geographic data – which is quite a long way from professional woodworking.

However, the lure of furniture design eventually proved too much as “I felt that I was just putting the decision off,” says Chris.

He’s moved with his wife to Edinburgh for the duration of the course, although they have no firm plans on where they’ll settle after the course.

One of the great advantages of the Chippendale school is that graduates can take space at the campus to set up in business, and are able to use the school’s machinery – giving them that important first step into professional woodworking.