Year 7 students 'bodge' basket weaving

On Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th June, Sheffield Springs Academy, in conjunction with the Urban Forestry section of Sheffield City Council, has put together another “bodger” camp.

Bodgers, traditionally, were woodworkers who lived and worked in forests, making furniture and such items, often not with a fine finish, which has led to the Modern English expression “a bodge (job)”.

This year the bodgers are Year 7 students, 120 in all; and they each get the opportunity to work on basket weaving; using a wood lathe to turn wood; and construction of a shelter out of willow and hazel.

Urban Forestry and students from the school have planted around 2,500 whips (small trees about 60cm tall) around the site, so that in about 10 years there will be a couple of small woods; and they have planted several hundred willow trees, so that the willow can be harvested each year on site and used, hopefully by the Arts Department for all sorts of weaving and artistic purposes. Willow is expensive, around £50 a bundle, so as well as ecologically being good sense, it’s also financial good sense.

Well done to all the students on site who’ve worked on any of these initiatives.