Proving that sawdust really does get into your veins, our first two intermediate course students have signed up for our 2018/19 professional course.

We introduced a new one-month intermediate course earlier this year, to bridge an identified gap between our one-week introductory course and our professional course.

Our first intermediate student, Eion Gibbs from the north of Scotland, used his month with us to learn the rudiments of woodworking and to design and make a hall table.

Eion learned his new skills while recuperating from pneumonia working as a film cameraman in Tanzania.

He’d been filming with the charitable Kilimanjaro Project and Trees 4 Kilimanjaro, that are highlighting the enormous environmental damage that is being done to Africa’s largest mountain, and the surrounding farmers who depend on the mountain’s melt waters.

In changing career paths, he’ll be joining Fiona Gilfillan from East Lothian, who was the second intermediate course student, and who made a beautiful console table and restored several pieces of dilapidated furniture.

A keen woodworking hobbyist, Fiona fist came to the Chippendale school two years ago on one of our one-week introductory courses.

A self-employed business change management consultant, Fiona was taking a short sabbatical from her consultancy work to take her woodworking skills to the next level – and, having experienced life in a professional workshop, will also now be changing career direction.

Our month-long intermediate course is primarily taught by staff member Alan McGovern who has 33 years of woodworking experience, and will only ever have two students at any one time to maximise the amount of one-to-one tuition.

Making it easier for prospective students, there is no formal start and end dates, to better ensure that tuition can be fitted around students’ other commitments.

Further details here