Latest reviews

Helen reviewed: Blacksmithing one day course

"Excellent day. Will was informative and helpful. Lovely to go away with finished articles. Highly recommend "

The Veterans Forge C.I.C responded:

"Thank you for the kind comments it was a pleasure to meet you both. "

Julie reviewed: Young teen with adult, silver jewellery special - what will YOU make?

"Absolutely fantastic! A perfect day for my 13 year old and I. Can't fault it the experience. If in doubt, book!"

Simply Amazing Jewellery School responded:

"Thank you, I love your direct approach, I shall hope to work with you again, your daughter was A May ZING!"

Kelly Shivani Rose reviewed: 2 Day Forged Knife Making Course

"I would highly recommend doing the 2-Day Knife Forging Course at Old Pound Smithy, they were so friendly and welcoming. Bean is an excellent teacher, he spoke clearly about each stage of the process when forging my knife and is a very experienced and skilled blacksmith. He was patient and worked hard to ensure I created a knife that I was happy with. It was very satisfying to forge metal, to learn about the process of blacksmithing and to create something so unique. "

Old Pound Smithy responded:

"Thanks so much Kelly. The knife you made was absolutely stunning. You must be really proud of your achievement!"

Sally reviewed: The Garden Plant Support

" Nikki was a brilliant teacher and very patient. Set in a perfect location. Would highly recommend. "

Amanda reviewed: Raku - learn the exciting art of rapid Japanese glaze firing

"Excellent day - really enjoyed our time, learnt a lot and out into practice different Raku techniques and cam away with some fabulous ceramics. Absolutely recommend this to anyone "

Potterydayz responded:

"Many thanks for the review Amanda- a pleasure to have your company on the Raku course. Delighted you enjoyed your results and I hope to see you again in the near future. Best wishes"

Stacyann reviewed: Beginner's Candle Making Private Workshop - Marlow, Buckinghamshire

"Sara is very professional and helpful, I will definitely recommend her, I learned a lot about beginners candle making. "

Candle by Events responded:

"Hi Stacy, really pleased you enjoyed the workshop, it was a pleasure to meet you."

Chloé Dymond reviewed: One day leather work course - small leather goods

"Fabulous workshop, very welcoming hosts, inviting and incredible workshop! Learnt lots, very informative. Very helpful with any questions you have to ask. Would definitely recommend or return! ?? "

Keith Prestidge reviewed: Introduction to woodturning: one to one

"Bill was an excellent teacher going through all aspects of wood turning, starting with the selection of the wood and the drying process, the lathes and tools required etc before going through the procedures for turning a wood bowl and helping me to achieve an acceptable result which has encouraged me to take this hobby further."

Nicky & Linda reviewed: Leather Traveller's Bag

"Fantastic course, we learnt so much and Catherine was really patient and helpful with us throughout the whole day. We are really pleased with our finished bags, and such good quality leather too."

Catherine Edwards Leather responded:

"Thankyou so much, you two, you were a joy to teach! "

Val reviewed: Lampshade Making - All Gathered shades - Small Group - 2 day workshop - Ebberston, North Yorkshire

"I recently attended Jacqueline's gathered and pleated lampshade making course, held in her beautiful home in Ebberston, and what a fabulous two days it was. Jacqueline is so warm and friendly. She was an excellent teacher, explaining and demonstrating everything to us very clearly. She also provided lots of helpful advice prior to the course. I now feel very confident putting my new lampshade-making skills to use. Lunch each day was delicious - all homemade with ingredients from Jacqueline's own garden. Everything about this course was an absolute delight and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I have since booked onto a further course with Jacqueline and I can't wait to go back. "

JSInteriorsUK responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review Val. You are a delight to teach and l look forward to working with you again and getting creative with lampshade designs. Kind regards Jacqueline "

Kate M reviewed: The Garden Plant Support

"Excellent course in a fabulous woodland setting - highly recommended! Thank you Nicki. "

Jane and Karen reviewed: Willow 'sculpture of your choice' - one day workshops with Willowtwisters

"My Sister and I had a fabulous day - thank you. We both came away with a sculpture that you could reconise, which is amazing having not done this before. Sarah gave us the necessary instruction and lots of encouragement. The small group was informal and supportive and lunch was very tasty. Definitely something I would recommend and would like to do again."

Willowtwisters responded:

"Thank you Jane and Karen for you lovely feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the day. We look forward to seeing you again in the future! "

Debbie reviewed: Jewellery Making & Beading - Treasure Necklace

"I made two bracelets rather than a necklace and found the morning calm and therapeutic. It was really interesting to learn the different ways of putting beads and charms together. A really enjoyable morning. "

Rowan reviewed: Raku - learn the exciting art of rapid Japanese glaze firing

"An excellent course! Richard was very accomodating! Incredible good value!"

Potterydayz responded:

"A pleasure to see you Rowan. I am delighted you enjoyed the Raku course and hopefully see you in the future. Best wishes."

Pete B reviewed: Forge a Knife- Blacksmithing and Knifemaking Experience Day

"I had a brilliant day, and it was a full day. Forged a 7.5 inch carving knife and made the teak handle as well. Loved every minute. It was the perfect counter point to a busy life. I've always been facinated by forge work and there is some family history behind it all as well. It was excellent just chatting and learning about the process and putting my own very basic skill to the test. The homemade sausage rolls were amazing too. Thank you so much."

Jane Johnson reviewed: Creative embellishment pack - lucky dip

"Great choice if embellishments awaiting start of project"

Jessica Grady embroidery artist responded:

"Hi Jane, really pleased you liked your creative embellishment pack - enjoy stitching a new project! "

Nigel Smith reviewed: Beginners 1-day pairs woodturning workshop

"My Brother-in-law and I were gifted this course for our birthdays. We were greeted on our arrival by Louise and Simon, and were shown to the workshop where we had a good introduction chat over a cup of tea and a biscuit. We went straight into the turning. Simons tuition was brilliant. Unhurried, clear, concise and very friendly. There's a lot to take in as a beginner in just the one day, and when we inevitably got it wrong, or forgot, Simon was instinctively there to help, correct and get us back to where we should be. As the weather was nice, lunch was outside in their garden and this was tasty and plentiful. We both came home with our turning creations and I think we were both amazed what a couple of beginners had achieved in just a day. The day flew by. I really enjoyed my course and I thoroughly recommend it. A very big thank you to both Louise, Simon and Harry the Dog for making it such a memorable day."

Blended Monkey - pottery - woodturning - green woodworking - pole lathe - throwing responded:

"Hi Nigel, Thank you for a glowing review! So glad that you enjoyed the day - do get in touch if you need any further help or information. -- Simon"

Margaret reviewed: The Garden Plant Support

"I went with a friend to this obelisk making course, it was so well organised with everything laid out before we started and every phase was demonstrated before we did anything. It was such fun and so well run I would unreservedly recommend this course . So much so I am going to book another. The composting loo in the woods was the icing on the cake !!!!"

Willowandyoga responded:

"Many thanks Margaret, it was a pleasure to spend the morning in the woods weaving with you and Heather."

Jacqui reviewed: Precious Metal Clay - Make your own Silver Jewellery for Beginners

"Excellent course and lovely course providers Jenny and Mike, very knowledgeable, we learned so much and came out with jewellery that We are going to love wearing. Our items surpassed what We thought our talents could produce thanks to the lovely Jenny’s tutorial."

Vitreus Art responded:

"Many thanks for your review! It was a pleasure and we both loved the jewellery you and Siobhan made. M&J"

Pete Bioletti reviewed: Art Spoon Carving with Giles Newman

"Apart from thoroughly enjoying the course I have come away with so many valuable techniques to practice. Giles not only introduces you to extremely useful techniques but also explains his methodology in context of his whole approach to the creative process. This has opened a whole new way of approaching the process and has given me a lot more confidence in my ability to be creative and let my imagination "run" Having seen his work up close I now have an appreciation of his tremendous talent and brilliant creativity which ranges across a number of disciplines including photography, drawing and wood carving. He is very passionate yet realistic about the art and emphasised a number of times that his methods and techniques are what work for him and there is no overall "right way" which has to be adhered to. This is such a refreshing and realistic approach and frees you up to concentrate on the creative process once, with his methods as a base, you can go onto developed your own style and technique. His method of using the carving tools is not only very safe but also energy efficient which reduces fatigue which, we all know, can lead to cuts!! I would not hesitate to recommend taking the chance to work with Giles. Alongside his beautiful carvings, his tremendous enthusiasm is inspirational. Many thanks again Giles and Kate for your hospitality and the use of your light and very comfortable workshop. "

Julie reviewed: Silver jewellery making class for beginners

"Could not have been better. Relaxed, instructive, enjoyable. A super introduction to a new skill. Thank you. "

Salt Way Silver responded:

"Thank you you Julie - for choosing Salt Way Silver - and for your very kind words. Well done with your earring designing - and making! Jonathan"

Pat Toft reviewed: One day leather work course - small leather goods

"Had a fantastic day, learned a lot and achieved a lot more than I thought I would, Jason is a great tutor and explained everything really well, looking forward to the next one "

Michelle Calvert reviewed: Screen printing using paper stencils

"Really enjoyed the afternoon. Everything was supplied, great tuition. Only thing is, it went by far too quickly! I would highly recommend. "

The Arienas Collective responded:

"Hello Michelle Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this lovely review of Lou's screen printing workshop. They say time always passes quickly when you're enjoying yourself - and especially when you're fully engaged in getting creative, we find ;-) I hope to welcome you back...maybe to one of Lou's full day printing workshops?! With best wishes Lynn"

Sarah reviewed: Polymer Clay Jewellery - Beginner - 3 Hours - One to One

"Amazing techniques covered to use with polymer clays and a patient tutor! Interesting workshop with all the tools and materials needed to create your own bespoke pieces. Thank you"

Gifted Crafts Company responded:

"Thank you so much Sarah. It was lovely to meet you and your daughter (and grandson too!). You both did so well. I’d love to see what you make at home! All the very best. Rach "

San Worrall reviewed: Introduction to candle making workshop

"Lively teacher,informative and educational .Glad I went .looking forward to the next one."

Bonita Candles responded:

"Thank you for your lovely words Sandra. I'm so glad you booked with us. We'd love to see you again. Enjoy your candles. xx"