One Board, One Table, One Day - Thursday 18th July

One of our artists based at Manor Oaks, Finbarr Lucas, crafter of bespoke handmade woodwork and furniture has a very interesting project happening this Thursday and we wanted to tell you all about it, he plans to create a table in a day, crafted from a piece of locally sourced wood, streamed live on the internet!

From this

To this

Over to Fin to explain more about the project....

" My name is Finbarr Lucas and I have a business called Finkfurniture, based in studio 2 here at Manor Oaks. 

On Thursday 18th July I'll be attempting to make a table from a single plank of wood, in a single day, live on the internet. The event is a bit of a challenge, and a bit of fun as I race against the clock to convert a board of locally sourced ash timber (from a tree felled in the Peak District) into a modern coffee table before your very eyes.

The event starts at 8am. Visit www.ustream.tv and search for 'table in a day' or 'finkfurniture' and you'll find the channel. Alongside the streamed video we will be making and posting up other short films made on the day, showing interview clips or focusing on milestones such as making the joints.

Our first video, about 2 minutes long, introduces the project and it's available to view here:

http://vimeo.com/user19185834/videos

The table should be finished at around 8pm, assembled and varnished and ready to be used. Shortly afterwards we'll auction it and the proceeds will go to planting trees in local woodlands.

Visit our blog at:

http://finkfurniture.blogspot.co.uk/

for more updates. And wish me luck!"

Good luck Fin

A verry happy customer

We received a lovely email the other day that we just had to share with you all, its from Irish Henderson who recently joined the 'Friends of Sheffield Manor Lodge'...

" I went up to Manor Lodge Open Day on Saturday and had the most wonderful two hours or so.

I went on my own as all my grandchildren were busy doing other things but the whole day was delightful.  I was so impressed with the glorious meadows the Green Estate and Friends have planted - they looked absolutely beautiful and the sun was shining too.  I looked around all the stalls and had a nice enjoyable spend on plants, chocolates, wildlife things etc.  All the people manning the stalls (which looked so lovely in their medieval way) were so friendly and helpful.  The plant stall just above the Rhubarb Shed was super and the people there so enthusiastic I could have bought every plant in their catalogue!  There was a stall with lovely homemade wines to sample and I would have bought a bottle if they had had a licence to sell it.  The allotments looked very healthy and well kept and I met a delightful couple there, this gentleman's wife was sitting there with her grandchildren whilst he was pottering a bout on his allotment.  They were all so very enthusiastic and jolly. In fact the people I passed along the lovely paths were all  smiling and happy looking with their children and grandchildren. 

I think I might write to the Sheffield Telegraph about what a nice day one can have if you are on your own and feeling down (well, I wasn't actually down) but it was so uplifting.  I could have been anywhere - in the middle of a meadow, at a country fayre or whatever.  But each time I visit Manor Lodge I come away with a smile on my face and a spring in my step.

As I was saying, do you think it might be a good idea for me to write to the Sheff Tel or not as I believe the Green Estate is funded by Sheffield Council and I have been informed at a high level that funding for such things next year may well be drastically reduced.  In that case, I think that many more local people should patronise it because I could just not believe I was at the top of the 'Manor' in this lovely landscape and to take children there with all the different things they can do is just fantastic.  I tell all my friends about it and hope in a little way that the word spreads.  It was be awful if the Green Estate had to struggle to keep up the good work."

 

We love hearing feedback from our visitors, so please if you've been here recently, get in touch!

 

If you would like more information on how to join the Friends of Sheffield Manor Lodge then visit the Get Involved section of our website

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