EAST YORKSHIRE WOODTURNERS PROGRAMME OF DEMONSTRATORS 2026
Tuesday March 17th Emma Cook Registered professional Turner
Emma, from Leeds, is an artistic woodturner known as ‘The Tiny Turner’. (She is 4ft 10 inches tall!). Emma is in her 30s, has been woodturning since she was 16, and has a degree in design. She is a popular demonstrator at clubs and at exhibitions throughout the UK and makes a welcome return to our
Tuesday April 21St: Ian Ethell
Ian studied Creative Design at Loughborough University, and has worked in design for 30 years in various manufacturing companies. Ian says: “Twenty years ago I was given the opportunity to take an evening class in woodturning and was immediately hooked. Fortunately this was at a time when many of the great craftsmen such as Alan Batty, Bill Jones, Keith Rowley and Phil Reardon were still demonstrating regularly and I learned by reproducing the pieces I had seen made. Twenty years on, my work has developed to include other materials including resins, metals, paints pyrography and carving.”You what no
Tuesday May 19th: Colin Spencer
Colin is a woodturner now living and working in Lincolnshire having lived in Orba on the Costa Blanca, Spain for 18 years where his website was named TurnSpain.com.
Colin can turn any item but particularly enjoys making anything unusual.
Colin sells pieces at the various Craft Fairs that take place throughout the year in Lincolnshire or by appointment from his studio near Lincoln. He also undertakes commissions.
Colin enjoys working in highly figured woods such as Yew, African Blackwood, Mopane, Olive and in burrs such as Amboyna and Mallee. He particularly enjoys making items decorated on his ornamental lathe
Colin is an AWGB woodturning tutor, a member of Lincolnshire Association of Woodturners and the Society of Ornamental Turners.
Tuesday June 16th Lillo Pisano
Lillo is a professional wood turner (member of The Register of Professional Turners) and a fully qualified goldsmith. Throughout his life he has researched, studied and experimented with drawing, painting, carving and the study of aesthetics, artistic graphics and material technology have helped him to create fine works of art.
.Tuesday July15th: Andy James
Andy joins us for the second time. He has been woodturning for more than 25 years, and was taught and mentored by internationally renowned turner, Chris Stott. In 2005 he was accepted onto the Register of Professional Turners. From 2006 -2016, Andy lived in France where his work was very well received at fairs and exhibitions. His pieces are now in private collections worldwide. Andy specialises in segmented designs, particularly miniature segmented hollow forms. He regularly demonstrates at clubs and other events throughout the UK.
Tuesday August 18th Joey Richardson
| Joey Richardson is an acclaimed British woodturner, sculptor, and contemporary artist whose work explores the powerful emotional and symbiotic relationship between people, trees, and place. Born and raised in the heart of Twigmoor Woods, Lincolnshire, Joey’s deep-rooted connection to nature began in childhood and continues to shape her artistic vision. Working primarily with reclaimed and locally sourced timber, she creates highly crafted, concept-driven pieces that speak of memory, identity, and transformation.Joey’s practice bridges fine art and traditional craftsmanship. Her delicate wood forms—often pierced, coloured, and combined with light or glass—are complemented by a wider body of sMeculptural work that incorporates carving, casting, burning, gilding, photography, and mixed media. Each piece is deeply autobiographical, closely tied to the history of the place and the origin of the material. Through layered processes and symbolic forms, she uncovers stories held within the grain, reflecting on fragility, resilience, and renewal.
She is the current President of the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain—the first woman to hold this role—and serves as Upper Warden of the Worshipful Company of Turners. Through these positions and her extensive teaching, demonstrating, and mentoring, she champions innovation, inclusion, and the preservation of craft. Her mission is to create bold, meaningful work, to share hard-won knowledge, and to elevate wood as a powerful medium for connection, reflection, and transformation. |
Tuesday September 15th Dan Smith
Dan is based in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, has been woodturning since his early teens and joins us for the first time. After leaving school in 2002 he studied furniture-making and restoration whilst working part-time in a woodturning supply shop. He then went into education and worked in a school. In 2020 Dan was accepted onto the Register of Professional Turners. He demonstrates at clubs across the country and offers tuition at his premises in Mirfield.
Tuesday October 20th Andy Routhwaite
| Andy was born and raised in Yorkshire and began woodturning after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Having had to give up his job he began looking for something new and challenging to occupy his time. He had up to that point preferred metalwork to woodwork (on the basis that if you made a mistake with wood you couldn’t weld it back together!) His first attempt at woodturning was a bowl, turned on a 19th century engineering lathe using a couple of homemade tools (highly dangerous and not to be encouraged!); that was when rehealised he had found a craft that he not only enjoyed immensely, but one for which he had natural ability. He hurriedly purchased “proper” tools and made much better progress. After a whilehe needed an outlet for his work and started to attend local craft fairs, selling work in order to fund more trips to the wood suppliers for timber to play with. He also joined the local Woodturning Club and began to expand his aptitude and design skills, gaining confidence with experience. He subsequently gained NVQ level3 in Woodturning and in 2002 achieved City & Guilds teaching certificate (7307) . In 2004 Andy was accepted on to the Register of Professional Turners. He has been a tutor at John Boddy’s Wood & Tool Store in North Yorkshire for several years and has demonstrated at various clubs and wood suppliers nationally. | |
Tuesday November 17th: Katie Armstrong
Katie is from West Yorkshire. In 2022, she became the youngest registered professional woodturner in the UK. She demonstrates at Clubs across the country, and makes a welcome return to our Club, having first demonstrated for us in October 2024.
Tuesday December 15th Rick Dobney – Professional woodturner
Rick is from Chesterfield. He’s been woodturning since 2008 and makes a welcome return to our club. He is an approved Association of Woodturners of Great Britain tutor and offers one-to-one tuition at his well-equipped workshop, or on request, at clients’ home workshops. He demonstrates throughout the country at clubs and exhibitions. https://rickdobney.uk
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Tuesday January 19th
TBA
Tuesday February 16th Annual General Meeting (members only).