Relief Carving in Hardwood with Alister Neville

Looking for a creative, calming escape? Join woodcarver Alister Neville for a day outdoors, carving your own decorative hardwood piece—be it a house sign, animal motif, bowl, or something entirely your own.

Alister arrives with three hefty, hand-built workbenches and a full set of razor-sharp tools for each participant. You'll have a selection of beautiful hardwoods—sycamore, ash, oak, birch—and plenty of inspiration to guide your design.

Set under canopies if it rains, the open-air setup is solid, spacious, and ideal for beginners and seasoned carvers alike. With just four people to a bench, there’s room to focus, learn, and enjoy the rhythm of carving.

Whether you leave with a hand-lettered name board or a carved creature, you’ll take home not just a finished piece—but the satisfaction of a day unplugged and well spent.

9.45 -  4.45pm
£88 Lunch included
Material Charges up to approx. £15 depending on choice of wood

Dates for this course - see the table below to book:

Saturday 20 September 2025

Typically this course runs with around 8 students. Kindly note that there is charge of up to £15 for the piece of hardwood you choose to work on, payable to Alister on the day.

Please bring:  All materials are provided by the tutor, please bring any references for your design if you have a particular idea. By all means print if off to the size you would like to carve to fill an A4 size page is ideal.  Working too small is much harder.Health and safety.  There will be a safety briefing at the start of the class.  If you are allergic to plasters please bring your own in the event you have a small injury.

About the Artist  Alister Neville has been carving exciting designs and sculpting in Hardwoods for many years, he has supplied numerous Cumbrian schools with unique tree stump carvings of Owls,Bears, Pandas and much more, along with  his wide range of complementary rustic seating in schools and villages throughout Cumbria.  Some year ago he carved a 3D wooden cyclists for the Cycle Cafe entrance.