News
Students flock to furniture workshops
Roy Underhill, centre, with a group of students and their book stands made to a design by Thomas Jefferson
Four North American woodworking experts have been passing on their skills to over 70 furniture enthusiasts at summer workshops at Royal Leamington Spa College.
Following the first successful course at the college last year, the New English Workshop worked with curriculum leader Jamie Ward to bring another summer school to the college.
US TV star Roy Underhill and fellow woodworking experts – Chris Schwarz, Peter Follansbee and Tom Fidgen – each ran five-day intensive courses in the college’s furniture workshop, with students from across the UK and Ireland travelling to take part. All the woodworking was done by hand – no machines.
Roy’s group made a book stand designed by Thomas Jefferson, a pinch rod with metal work, a grease box and a nail curiosity. Chris’s students made a knockdown bench, while Peter’s group made a 17th Century inspired green-oak carved box and Tom’s students made a sawyer’s bench.
Royal Leamington Spa College has been running furniture crafts courses for over 60 years and has a track record in producing talented furniture makers. Curriculum leader Jamie Ward has been the driver behind starting the prestigious workshops at the college.
He said: “It’s a privilege to welcome these international experts to the college, and even better that nine of our own students got the chance to take part in the courses for free, so it’s been an amazing experience for them and for me.”
Royal Leamington Spa College offers a range of furniture crafts courses and is part of the Warwickshire College Group, one of the largest general further and higher education college groups in the UK, providing high quality education and training for individuals and organisations at a local, regional, national and international level.
There are six colleges in the Group – Royal Leamington Spa, Rugby, Moreton Morrell, Henley-in-Arden, Pershore and Warwick Trident, with 16,000 students and offering more than 1000 courses.
The Group works in partnership with a large number of local and national employers across industry and is the largest provider of apprenticeship training in the region, with over 1,700 apprentices trained every year.
For more details of the summer workshops email Madelyn McAlpine or call 01926 318216.
For more information on courses, visit the Group’s website.