I carved my first spoon in 2016;  having always loved the infinite variety in wood grain, and having always been interested in craft and making, finding greenwood carving, and specifically spoons was like a homecoming.  What gets me about spoons is their functionality – I’m interested in making beautiful things, but I’m even more interested if they’re useful too.  I like repeating shapes and striving for repeatability and consistency – to some, that’s boring, but to me it’s how I go deeper into this particular rabbit hole.

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I've been a Painter/Decorator for 40 plus years and have always made things but started working more with green wood around 2015. This led me to spoon carving and then got involved with Ian Glendinning in 2018, which led to The Fyne Stirrers spoon carvers. It snowballed from then leading down a rabbit hole to modifying existing tools and making new ones, this led naturally on to leather work, to protect the new blades.

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In 2017 I began working in historical interpretation, bringing to life the history of traditional crafts, beliefs and the many uses of plants and other natural materials. It was impossible to not be drawn in by the magic and mystery of it all. The respect that I have for the people who used these skills and knowledge to not only survive, but thrive has only grown since trying my hand at a few of these old traditional crafts. I’ve been playing with plants, making cordage, foraging and preserving for about six years and have spent the last three years delving into willow weaving and basket making. One of my favourite woodland crafts combines the theory and techniques of basket weaving with the flexibility and variety that other plants bring when making tiny fairy pots – like miniature baskets. One reason I love these fairy pots is the way they combine the practical and functional with the ancient folk tales and beliefs of Scotland and its fairy folk.

I started practicing woodcarving the year before the pandemic, as a way to decompress and ease the stress of working as a musician/busker full time. After the pandemic, I took 6 months off and went on a long journey across the US, crafting and busking for donations, making up stories for my little characters as we traveled along. Ultimately, I started teaching my first classes there, and once back in Scotland, I decided to put all that energy into building a community and bring together ancient  skills, tradition, creativity, innovation,mindfulness,well-being, storytelling, mental health and more, all in one room, with just a little block of wood and a sharp tool. And a cup of tea or coffee.

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Ian has been a green woodworker for longer than he can remember, mainly pole lathing. However after his first Spoon Hoolie back in 2018 he was so inspired that he went home and started his own local spoon carving club, The Fyne Stirrers based in Mid Argyll. At this year’s Craft Hoolie Ian along with fellow Fyne Stirrer John Cupples will be teaching leatherworking, making knife and axe sheaths and other leatherwork projects.

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Kirsten Milliken is an artist, educator and craftsperson based in Edinburgh. She has been working with natural materials since childhood and regularly teaches different heritage crafts and textile arts for people of all ages. She says, ‘I am a textile artist and craftsperson. I work with textiles and other natural fibres to create useful and beautiful objects. For me, creating something from raw materials is an empowering act that promotes self-reliance and resilience and I love teaching these skills to people of all ages and backgrounds.’ Find out more about Kirsten at www.kirstenmilliken.co.uk.

Mobile Print Studio (MoPS) is a Glasgow-based pop-up printmaking initiative run by David and Romana, dedicated to making printmaking accessible to all. Through hands-on workshops in community spaces, events, and educational settings, they introduce people of all ages and backgrounds to the joy of analogue printmaking in a relaxed and engaging environment. They run monthly printmaking classes in Glasgow, both in their own studio and at other venues, while also regularly loading up their bike trailer and cycling further afield (weather permitting) to deliver pop-up classes at various locations, including schools, community centres, cafés, and museums.

David, a visual artist specialising in printmaking, has ten years of experience as a print technician at The Glasgow School of Art. He co-founded Mobile Print Studio in 2015 to share his expertise and passion for screenprinting, etching, and other print techniques with the wider community.

Romana joined the studio in early 2023 as a studio manager during a six-month funded internship and has since continued in her role, overseeing the daily operations and helping facilitate workshops. Together, David and Romana, together with their team of amazing freelance tutors, bring creativity, technical knowledge, and a welcoming spirit to each session, ensuring that printmaking is fun, inclusive, and accessible to everyone.

David and Romana will be on site on Saturday screen printing T shirts, Hoodies and tote bags with our wonderful new logos.

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Coin-Operated Press CIC is a social enterprise zine press run by Chloe Henderson. Rooted in Scotland’s creative community, we bring people together through workshops, zine fairs, and our travelling zine library. Each month, we collaborate with artists and writers to create new zines that amplify unsung voices. Our themes range from important causes close to our hearts to playful, joyful ideas that offer a little light in the darkness. We’re passionate about sharing our love for zines and creating educational resources that open up zine-making as a tool for expression, connection, and change.

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Craig has been a green woodworker for the last decade or so, after he fell in love with the fact that with a few relatively basic tools and a fallen branch you can create a decorative or useful object that will be used and admired for a lifetime. Craig works at Green Aspirations delivering mental health programmes, skills workshops and our kids holiday club, all of which have encouraged him to explore more crafts, including basket weaving. Craig enjoys working with his hands and turning simple, natural materials into something beautiful and useful.

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With qualifications in both gardening and arboriculture to his name, Paul is a skilled green woodworker and trainer with twenty years’ hands-on experience across a range of sectors.  As a founder and director of woodland groups, Paul combines his knowledge of rural practices with his interest in social wellbeing to help build stronger, more connected communities.

Never comfortable without a project on hand and a tool with which to shape it, Paul’s practical nature and love of the outdoors continuously drives his workshops in creative new directions.  He aims to continue passing on traditional green woodworking skills to anyone in earshot, inspiring and empowering the next generation of Scottish forestry workers.

Paul is committed to restore hazel coppicing across Scotland and reinvigorate coppice crafts.

Jo is one of the directors of Green Aspirations, looking after the day-to-day operations as well as charcoal production. In 2024, Jo trained as a blacksmith, completing the City & Guilds in Forgework and, since then, has been offering a range of workshops using traditional tools and techniques, including forging using charcoal made on site. The focus has been on developing engaging workshops where beginners and hobbyists can learn and hone techniques that can be used on a range of projects, to make blacksmithing more widely accessible.