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Press release / Oak Rises Again at Stock Gaylard Fair’s Fifth Birthday

Press release issued for the rural Oak Fair on the Stock Gaylard Estate in Dorset

An exhibition of locally-produced creations from an oak tree felled a year ago will mark the anniversary of a Dorset rural fair on Saturday 29th August.

The remaining stump and roots of the 159-year-old dead oak tree felled at the 2008 Oak Fair. The rest of the tree has been used by various crafts people to create a variety of products and tributes to the oak

The remaining stump and roots of the 159-year-old dead oak tree felled at the 2008 Oak Fair. The rest of the tree has been used by various crafts people to create a variety of products and tributes to the oak

The Stock Gaylard Oak Fair will celebrate its fifth birthday this year with a special showcase of handcrafted products and tributes to the estate’s 159-year-old dead oak tree.

Adam’s Axemen, Great Britain’s first axe racing team, provided a popular spectacle at the 2008 event, taking just over an hour to fell the tree.

Various craftsmen and members of the public took home portions of the timber and have since worked to produce furniture, works of art and other products.   Over 50 items have been crafted and these have been brought back to the estate to feature in the Rebirth of a Dorset Oak exhibition.

Highly experienced woodworkers, amateur enthusiasts and children from a local school have worked to produce the artefacts in the inaugural exhibition. Some of the craftsmen include:

Jamie Ross – cabinet Maker and rustic yurt furniture creator.
Bill Moore – from the Mary Rose Trust, who has created historical replicas of artifacts found on the Mary Rose ship.
David Saltmarsh – smallholder and gifted chair maker who has crafted an armchair.
Jeremy Freeman – creates beautiful bowls from knotty and character wood.
Richard Bower – his company, Zelston Fencing, has made hand cleaved roof shingles.
Pete Jamieson – charcoal and charcoal burner’s stool (one legged)

Year 10 students from Yewstock School in Sturminster Newton have made a totem pole from the wood, to feature in the school’s sensory garden.

Year 10 students from Yewstock School who crafted a totem pole for the school's sensory garden

Year 10 students from Yewstock School who crafted a totem pole for the school’s sensory garden

Last year’s Oak Fair on the August Bank Holiday weekend drew in over 4,000 visitors.  Other highlights at the 2009 event will include falconry displays; a children’s drumming workshop and fancy dress competition; trailer rides in the deer park; working and static traditional and modern timber machinery; fresh food and drink from local Dorset producers; and demonstrations of woodland craftsmanship in the fair’s flagship Oak Avenue.

National President of the International Tree Foundation, Suzanne Hampshire, will present prizes to winners of the school children’s fancy dress competition.

Since its launch in 2005 the Oak Fair has attracted interest across Dorset and beyond, attracting traditional artisans, conservation bodies, woodland management specialists, countryside advisors and machinery specialists.

The 2009 Stock Gaylard Oak Fair will take place on Saturday 29th August. To purchase discounted advance tickets or find out more information visit Stock Gaylard Estate’s new website www.stockgaylard.com