Willow Club
This is for people who want to:
Grow and/or weave willow
Keep the traditional varieties and techniques of willow weaving alive for future generations
Be part of a self-governed community of willow enthusiasts
Connect to the land, the seasons and each other through willow
Learn and grow with each other
Get together (in person) on a monthly basis
Read on for more details….
But what actually is it, I hear you cry?!
What does it involve? A monthly meet up at Laurelbank Farm on the second Tuesday of the month, plus four longer weaving days at the farm throughout the year.
What are the dates for 2026? Tuesday 13th January, Tuesday 10th February, Tuesday 10th March etc…
Book to attend one of our meetings here!
What is the plan for the meet ups? Weaving and making starts at 7pm. We finish around 9pm. We generally discuss and decide on what we’re going to do in advance via the Willow Club WhatsApp group.
In addition to the monthly meetings, we aim to organise quarterly willow weaving days. These often happen on a Sunday.
Who can join? Anyone can become a member (subject to availability - we have to limit numbers to make events manageable). Member’s can bring a friend along to a Tuesday meet up if they are interested, for a £15 drop in cost. But please book in advance.
What does it cost? £100 for the whole year - paid in advance. Membership runs from April to March each year.
We also charge extra for long weaving days (£20 per person) to cover some overheads.
Where will we get our willow? There is currently homegrown willow at the farm and we can just help ourselves (for free). The club has also bought some willow from Musgrove Willows in Sommerset using membership fees.
What else will we spend membership fees on? Jo charges Willow Club a room rental fee for our meet ups to cover some of the farm overheads (insurance, heating, cleaning etc). We can also spend money on tools and equipment if we decide that’s useful. We could pay for a teacher to come and run a course for us!
Who is running this thing?! This is the first project run through the Laurelbank Community Interest Company - a non-profit social enterprise that Jo hopes, will eventually take over more of the farm’s activities.
But, the plan is that Willow Club runs itself. We have a Willow Club organising committee of 8 keen Willow Club member who volunteer their time to make Willow Club happen.
Please email me at laurelbankwillowclub@gmail.com if you have any questions about Willow Club.
