EAST YORKSHIRE WOODTURNERS PROGRAMME OF DEMONSTRATORS 2025
Tuesday March 18th: Andy James – Registered Professional Woodturner.
Andy joins us for the first 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 April 15th: Dennis Wake – Registered Professional Turner.
Dennis has been turning for twenty years and demonstrating around the country for the last ten. He is from Hartlepool, where he runs his own company ‘Woodturning Hartlepool’ and offers tuition in his well-equipped workshop. https://woodturninghartlepool.co.uk
Tuesday May 20th: Chris Fisher – Registered Professional Woodturner:
Chris – known as the ‘Blind Woodturner’- is from Chorley, Lancashire and makes a welcome return to our club. He lost his sight in 2008, over the course of four weeks. Four years later, after rehabilitation to learn how to do everyday activities again and coming to terms with being blind, Chris took up woodturning. He turned his first commission in 2014 and became a full-time self-employed woodturner in 2018. In July 2019, Chris became the first blind woodturner to be accepted onto the Register of Professional Turners (RPT) and has been featured several times by the BBC. https://theblindwoodturner.co.uk
Chris travels around the country giving woodturning demonstrations to inspire and motivate people, no matter what their circumstances, to achieve their full potential. His mission is to exceed the expectations of what others perceive disabled people can accomplish, and to prove to himself and the world that having a disability isn’t the end – it’s just a new beginning.
Tuesday June 17th: Dan Smith – Registered professional woodturner.
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 July15th: 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 club. https://www.thetinyturner.co.uk/
Tuesday August 19th: Andrew Hall – Registered Professional Turner.
Andrew is from Durham. After an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner, he taught apprentices at colleges in the North-East of England. Since 2002 he’s been demonstrating woodturning throughout the UK, and in Germany, Belgium and Ireland. Andrew specialises in wooden hats and stringed instruments that he calls ‘bluesbowls’. He runs tuition courses at his well-equipped workshop. https://hallwoodhats.com/index.php
Tuesday September 16th: Colin Watson – Registered Professional Woodturner.
Colin is from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and joins us for the first time. He took up woodturning in 2013 to ensure that he would have something to occupy himself in retirement. He retired in 2016 after working for 30 years in the Oil and Gas Industry. Colin is a Registered Professional Turner, an AWGB Approved Tutor, a member of the Heritage Craft Association and Huddersfield and District Woodturners. His Gallery and Video pages show examples of his work: https://www.thecrazywoodman.uk/videos
Tuesday October 21st: Katie Armstrong – Registered Professional Woodturner.
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 November 18thth: Kate Kitchin – Professional woodturner.
Kate is from Wakefield and has been woodturning for almost ten years since leaving school. Her hobby quickly developed into a passion. She is an approved Association of Woodturners of Great Britain tutor, providing private lessons and demonstrations across the UK. Kate also runs a small family craft business with her mum in Wakefield.
Tuesday December 16th: 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
2026:
Tuesday January 20th: To be announced.
Tuesday February 17th: Annual General Meeting (members only).