CRAFT lovers are being invited to take part in workshops following the opening of an off-grid cabin after years of fundraising. 

As previously reported, Andover Trees United began building The Cabin in Harmony Woods in 2021 and the building finally opened on Saturday, December 9.

The space will be used as a sustainable classroom, field-study base, and community/volunteer room.

Wendy Davis, from Andover Trees United, said: "The Cabin here in Harmony Woods was designed as part of the vision for the space which was for every young person in our community, supported by their adults, to plant a wood and then within that wood we would build a field study centre, woodland classroom and a space that would look after people who were here looking after the wood.

Andover Advertiser: The opening of The Cabin

READ MORE: Andover Trees United opens The Cabin in Harmony Woods

"It will allow the children from all the schools that have planted the wood to actually come and use it as a study base. We hope that it will allow us to run courses and activities to generate some revenue and allow us to continue to offer opportunities for people to come and learn about what we do."

The team behind the charity is proud to announce that the completion of The Cabin has allowed them to start offering monthly craft sessions on the third Saturday of every month starting in February 2024. 

The crafts sessions are open to all and will teach participants traditional skills and green crafts. Each month visitors can experience a different craft, from willow weaving to woodworking, led by skilled volunteers and expert guest craftspeople.

In May this year Andover Trees United hosted an auction to help raise funds to finish the project. The auction of promises, held at The Wolversdene Club’s Hayward Suite, raised a much-needed £3,700.

Plans for The Cabin date back to the beginning of the Harmony Woods project, with the scheme approved by Test Valley Borough Council in 2019.

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To allow for the project to get off the ground, the charity conducted a variety of fundraising events, including art auctions and charity walks.

The first session will be held on Saturday, February 24 from 10am to 1pm. Crafters can expect to learn how to make bird feeders or small hanging baskets from sustainably sourced willows.

The session, which has eight spaces available allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, will cost £25 per person and will include refreshments.

Session will vary from full day to half day workshops, with a small fee per person to covers costs.

The full details can be found by visiting andovertrees.org.uk/events-calendar.

If residents are crafty or want to learn something new, they can also book a session by emailing joanna.oliver-hawkins@andovertrees.org.uk.