Northern Bowl
Fri 24 Apr
|Broompark
Cosy craft festival in the North of England
Time & Location
24 Apr 2026, 08:00 – 26 Apr 2026, 18:00
Broompark, Cooke's Wood, Broompark, Durham DH7 7RL, UK
Guests
About the event
Northern bowl gathering is the highlight of our handcraft mission. Every year during the last weekend in April we run a series of workshops and get some of the most talented makers in the land to share their skills.
Song, fire, craft and community.
Schedule
3 hoursHand brooms - Anna
Circus Tent1/2 day
6 hoursYoav Elkayam - End grain cup turning
Main marqueefull day
Tickets
Weekend ticket
This ticket allows you to come and spend all weekend with us. You will be fed an evening meal on the Friday night and the Saturday night. You will get a camping spot, a campervan ticket will be needed as an extra. Craft wood and shelter will be provided for your crafting activities.
£95.00
Sold OutFamily ticket
This ticket allows you into the festival with your children only paying for their food. Children under five do not need a ticket. You will be fed an evening meal on the Friday night and the Saturday night. You will get a camping spot, a campervan ticket will be needed as an extra. Craft wood and shelter will be provided for your crafting activities.
From £130.00 to £260.00
Sold Out£130.00
£165.00
£225.00
Day tickets
Sale ends
26 Apr, 14:50
This Ticket allows you into the gathering. It does not include an evening meal, nor does it allow you to stay onsite after 6 O'clock. You will need one of these tickets in order to attend a workshop onsite.
£25.00
£25.00
Campervan Ticket
If you are bringing a campervan you will need this ticket to park on site. There are a limited number of parking places on site.
£20.00
Sold OutEnd grain cups - Yoav Elkayam
Spend a great day discovering how to turn a beautiful wooden cup from British wood on the pole lathe with Yoav Elkayam. An opportunity for both complete beginners and experienced turners to learn new skills and improve on existing ones. You’ll learn the following processes: We'll discuss sharpening, wood selection, form and many other relevant topics to this beautiful craft. Not only will gain all this knowledge, but you’ll come away a beautifully turned wooden cup. A lunch of soup is provided.
£110.00
Sold OutBeginners bowl - Shannon Berry
Step up to the pole lathe and turn your own bowl from fresh green wood. This full-day workshop is for those at the start of their journey - maybe your first, maybe your third - you’ll be guided through each stage with patience and encouragement. With as much energy exerted as walking up a large hill you’ll leave a sense of achievement that comes from steady work in good company. A lunch of soup and bread is provided.
£110.00
Sold OutBeginners bowls- Richard Dunn
Come and join Richard to learn how to turn a bowl from a log on a foot powered lathe. Starting from a log he will take you through roughing out and tool use through to techniques on the lathe right to a finished bowl. Come and join Richard to learn how to turn a bowl from a log on a foot powered lathe. Starting from a log he will take you through roughing out and tool use through to techniques on the lathe right to a finished bowl. A lunch of soup and bread is provided.
£110.00
Sold OutShrink pots - John Mullaney
John is a master of the shrinkpot. On this course you will be taken through the process of turning a portion of log into a beautiful shrinkpot. Techniques explored will include hollowing, carving a base and fitting it, making the lid and exploring some decoration ideas. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from the most renowned maker of shrinkpots. A lunch of soup and bread is provided.
£110.00
Sold OutRush Hats with Jane Bradley
Make your own Rush Hat, this magnificent course will get you ready for the Spring and Summer sunshine! We will use checker weave and pairing to make these beautiful and aromatic hats from rush. All tools and materials are provided as well as a lunch of soup and bread.
£110.00
Sold OutSpoon carving - Alan Mitchell
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
In this one day course we will start with small diameter birch and finish with an eating spoon. Running through safe and efficient use of the axe, carving knives and hook knives. I will have a range of good quality tools for people to try out and a few for sale. We can also run through some finishing and oiling techniques on some dry spoons. We will also run through some sharpening techniques as keeping your tools sharp is key to good carving. A lunch of soup is provided.
£110.00
Knife blades - Adam Ashworth
Adam will be teaching slojd knife forging. The aim will be for everyone to forge their own blade. You will learn how to move metal with a hammer and take your blank to it’s rough shape. Next is grinding the correct profile on your blade. After the course, Adam will heat treat the blade, sharpen it and send it back to you, so you will have a finished blade which will be razor sharp. You will need either a WEEKEND TICKET or a DAY TICKET to access this course at the Northern bowl gathering.
Sold Out£60.00
Bowl carving - Nadine Grundy
Nadine will be offering a one day course in hand carved, round eating bowls. On this course you will go from log to bowl, focusing on efficient technique and safe use of a selection of tools. You will use a selection of bowl gouges and spoon knives for hollowing then a mixture of axe work, planes, chisels and carving knives for the outside. Working on a bowl horse to clamp your work will make it much easier to work effectively on your bowl. A lunch of soup and bread is provided.
£110.00
Sold OutLeather belts - Rob Price
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
A good belt is an invaluable companion in life, and the work that goes into one is often underestimated. A belt is also a great project for beginner leatherworkers as it involves using all of the fundamental leatherwork skills and gives you something that you can wear and be proud of every day. We will start with a strip of the finest oak bark tanned leather and a solid brass buckle, and over the course of the day we will learn how to mark out, cut, skive, stitch. A lunch of soup is provided.
£120.00
Plate turning - Ali Asadi
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
£110.00
Bowl Hooks - Matt Whittaker
On this course Matt will take you through the steps of turning an old Carspring into a functioning tool. You will begin by drawing out the metal to the deired shapes, learn how to heat treat and go on to final sharpening. You'll go away with a tool that is handled and ready to use at your lathe. All tools and materials provided. A lunch of soup and bread is provided. You will need either a WEEKEND TICKET or a DAY TICKET to access this course at the Northern bowl gathering.
£110.00
Sold OutCoat hooks - Matt Whittaker
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
On this course you will use hammer and tongs to beat out a simple coat hook on the hand cranked charcoal forges. You'll be taken through the techniques of stretching and bending your metal into the desired shape. SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES All tools and materials are provided. You will need either a WEEKEND TICKET or a DAY TICKET to access this course at the Northern bowl gathering.
£40.00
Hand brooms - Anna Corbett
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
Make a hand broom out of wild, local plants, tied with either home made or other cordage. There are many styles from around the world that can be adapted to our local materials, and you will be able to try out a couple of different ones in this workshop. Useful for brushing away cobwebs, dust, ashes, soil or just anything you don’t want hanging around! All tools and materials provided. You will need either a WEEKEND TICKET or a DAY TICKET to access this course at the Northern bowl gathering.
£60.00
Willow fish - Jane Bradley
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
Come and join Jane in this drop in class to make a woven willow fish. This is a great child and parent course as well as a lovely introduction to the techniques of willow work. You will need either a WEEKEND TICKET or a DAY TICKET to access this course at the Northern bowl gathering.
£30.00
Create a mate - Anna Corbett
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
Make a figure out of plants, based on a tradition from Shetland, where these figures were once made out of oat straw and known as a ‘dukkie’. We will use a variety of different wild plants, tied with coloured string for decoration. Come along and create a mate to take home. All tools and materials provided. CHILDREN UNDER 10 will need to be accompanied by an adult.
£35.00
+£0.88 ticket service fee
Decorating wood -Nadine Grundy
Learn to add colour and decoration to your wooden craft items. You will be taught how to make milk paint, how to chip carve, delve into kolrosing as well as looking at natural dyes.
£60.00
Oak basket - Lorna Singleton
On this course you will learn how to make a cleft oak table basket. It begins by cleaving an oak stem and then boiling these billets. Next riving the boiled oak into strips then dress it using a knives and drawknives then weave it into a basket. A lunch of soup and bread is provided. You will need either a WEEKEND TICKET or a DAY TICKET to access this course at the Northern bowl gathering.
£185.00
Sold OutGypsy flowers - Alan Mitchell
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
Come and explore the making of these delicate little parcels of craft lovliness. Made through the ages for sale along the way by travellers, they are a little trickier than you may imagine. Alan will show you the tricks needed to make successful flowers on this short relaxing Sunday morning course. You will need either a WEEKEND TICKET or a DAY TICKET to access this course at the Northern bowl gathering.
£40.00
String making - Anna Corbett
Find out how to make string from plant fibres, one of the most ancient and enduring skills that humans have ever practiced. You will be able to try out different plants and techniques to create samples to take away. We will learn the basic 2 ply strand, and find out how to create 3 and 4 as well as exploring how to identify, harvest, process and use a range of wild and garden plants throughout the year. All tools and materials provided. You will need either a WEEKEND TICKET or a DAY TICKET
£60.00
Weekend ticket Ashley & Anouk
This ticket allows you to come and spend all weekend with us. You will be fed an evening meal on the Friday night and the Saturday night. You will get a camping spot, a campervan ticket will be needed as an extra. Craft wood and shelter will be provided for your crafting activities.
£125.00
Sold OutBeginners bowl - Steve Ridd
Sale ends
26 Apr, 18:00
Step up to the pole lathe and turn your own bowl from fresh green wood. This full-day workshop is for those at the start of their journey - maybe your first, maybe your third - you’ll be guided through each stage with patience and encouragement, you’ll leave a sense of achievement that comes from steady work in good company. A lunch of soup and bread is provided.
£110.00
Total
£0.00