In August Ise and Nene Valley Turners celebrated its tenth anniversary. Since it was formed in 2015 by a group of five like-minded amateur turners the club has grown significantly and now, even after the ravages of Covid we have a very active membership of over 50 men and women who share an enthusiasm for the craft. We pride ourselves on the friendliness and inclusiveness within the Club where we strive to encourage an environment of support and encouragement. Something must be working because we have members regularly attending from Leicestershire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire as well as Northamptonshire.
The range of experience within the club is huge, from absolute beginners to highly skilled turners with nearly three quarters of a century of experience working with wood. Tapping into this wide and deep knowledge over a mug of tea and a slice of cake on Club Nights is a real pleasure. One of the things we all share is a desire to improve our skills and it’s a really joyful experience to see a technique at the Club and go home and try to perfect it knowing that there are club members who can help if things don’t turn out as hoped. The Club meets at 7pm on the first and third Thursdays of the month at Cranford Village Hall, Grafton Road, Cranford St Andrew, Northants, NN14 4AQ.
The Hall has full access and toilets for people with disabilities, a kitchen and good connections by road from most parts of Northants and surrounding counties. There's also plenty of on-road parking close to the hall. Generally alternate meetings will involve a demonstration from a leading professional turner or one of our more experienced members. We are fortunate to have an excellent audio visual system so everyone can hear and see what’s going on. The other meeting each month is less structured and more of a social evening where the hall fills with the buzz of conversation and the subject matter is invariably turning techniques, timber or finishing. On these evenings we often set up the Club’s lathes and members can “have a go” at a technique they’ve not tried before, coached by other members. One of the most important features of these evenings is our display table where Members show pieces they have completed or works in progress and sometimes someone is brave enough to show one of their failures – that’s when we learn most! Twice a year we hold all day demonstrations where a Professional turner leads us in a deep dive into their practice. Most people bring a little notebook, because there is ALWAYS something to learn. So, if you would like to spend time with similarly minded people in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside, celebrating woodturning and all it entails, then we would love to see you at the Club where you can be sure a warm welcome awaits. Come and see for yourself.
