How to turn a tree into a beautiful bench! A photo-essay.

First of all, find a suitable tree! This is a mighty oak, on the Dueshill Estate, felled by Storm Arwen. Kindly gifted by the owner.

The wonderfully talented and skillful Michael Boxall, agreed to make a bench to commemorate the Save Rothbury Community Hospital Campaign, and, in particular, two of its members who died during the campaign to save the NHS beds

I asked Michael to document the process.

These two photographs (above) show Michael cutting the fork which will become the ends of the bench.

Here we see Michael moving the fork, in order to saw it in half.

And here he is, sawing the fork in half. Look at all that sawdust!

Now the fork is in two halves.

Demonstrating the skill and knowledge - sawing out the seat and the back boards.

Pull!! Heavy work! Winching one bench end onto the trailer.

And loading the seat board on as well.

And here is Michael at home, removing the bark and sapwood from the benchends.

This week Michael and I will meet with Rothbury Community Hospital Estates Manager, Barry Malecki, to make the final decisions about where in the grounds the finished bench, and picnic table, will sit.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at this work in progress! And it will not be too long before I can show you the finished bench. What a welcome addition it will be for the residents of Rothbury Cottage Care, and Rothbury Community Hospital, plus, of course, all staff and users.

The final pictures will be posted soon. Thank you to everyone who donated to the funding of this.