Building bridges in this strange new world
Written by Tir Coed / Tuesday 22 June 2021
I can’t believe how fast 6 weeks have gone by: the world outside the Elan has changed so much yet at the same time the Elan has been as stoic as ever.
Our trainees have also changed so much. The 7 strangers who first met 5 weeks ago are strangers no more and there are now firm friendships as confidence has grown and skills with tools developed.
At the start of the course I worried how a Covid safe course would feel, however our trainees have been great. They happily keep a respectful distance from each other, use the sanitisers and take the temperature checks all in their stride, but at the same time Covid safety hasn’t stopped them supporting and helping each other.
The first few weeks of the course have been about developing skills with tools, from making spatulas on day 1 and on to making a lovely bench for additional seating and some workbenches to use for the courses main task of building a bridge.
However, it’s not been all wood work, the Elan Valley is home to 39 Scheduled Ancient Monuments as well as some of the most important Atlantic Oak woodland in Europe, so an Estate walk to take in some of these sites alongside the commercial forestry was undertaken to give our trainees a taste of the significance of the course location and an opportunity for the trainees to learn about the ecology of the area.
Work has now started on the bridge, our main structural beams have been cut and joints are ready to be crafted, not only will this bridge span a stream, but it will span the change in the outside world as restrictions lift.
