Nailsworth Community Workshop reviews

26 Jan 20'

Dougie Law reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"Just had a fantastic time on this course. Arian was a very patient, knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher. I learned a lot and was able to take away a very useful and good looking knife. I would highly recommend this course to anyone as it is very interesting and good fun."

18 Nov 19'

Laurence Vinnels reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"I had a voucher bought for last years birthday and after looking through all of the available knife making courses I settled on this one. I am really glad that I did. The combination of brilliant facilities and the great teaching from Arian made the whole experience both really fun, but also a lot easier than I expected; even for a complete novice with most of the techniques used. I thoroughly enjoyed my time making the knife and the finished knife far beats the expectations of what I thought I would be able to create, all thanks to Arians expert guidance. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to try their hand at knife making."

6 Oct 19'

Mark Sanders reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"My son and I have just finished this wonderful course. We were both complete novices to knife making and we started off with a certain degree of apprehension as to whether we would achieve anything vaguely resembling a knife! However this was soon put to rest by the very relaxed.and informal atmosphere in the workshop. Arian is an excellent (and very patient) tutor with a wealth of knowledge and skill which he used to guide us through all the stages of producing our knives. Our confidence soon rose and we became completely immersed in the whole process and enjoyed the plentiful supply of tea and biscuits! Special thanks to Arian for helping my son to incorporate a lambs horn from one of our own sheep into the handle of his knife- a real personal touch. Would have no hesitation in completely recommending this course to anyone no matter what your ability level. You will not be disappointed!!! Many thanks."

23 Sep 19'

Jon Stubbings reviewed: English longbow making weekend in the heart of Nailsworth Gloucestershire

"Had a fantastic weekend and came away very proud of my impressive longbow. Really never been very good at practical skills but with Gavin's help and taking it step by step it was all achievable and very enjoyable. All done in a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere with a very jovial host. Can't recommend highly enough :)"

23 Sep 19'

Rob James reviewed: English longbow making weekend in the heart of Nailsworth Gloucestershire

"Gavin obviously loves what he does and passes that on with enthusiasm. He created a very relaxed atmosphere where learning was enjoyable and made the weekend great fun and interesting by not only providing detailed explanations about Bow making and the science behind it but also throwing in a bit of serenading on the guitar and some Lonny Donnegan on the old wind up gramophone. If you think 2 days is a long time, think again. The time went rapidly with many people saying “is that the time already?” Gavin spends a lot of time and effort ensuring that what you end up with a very well made and beautifully finished Longbow. The facilities in Nailsworth are good with several good restaurants and some good places to stay, we stayed at the Amberly Hotel which was comfortable with a good breakfast and an easy journey to the course location."

23 Sep 19'

Tim Stokes reviewed: English longbow making weekend in the heart of Nailsworth Gloucestershire

"Firstly Gavin has run a lot of longbow courses and is excellent at communicating what needs to be done. It also felt like we were joining him in his hobby , he was so enthusiastic and made the weekend great fun. I really liked the bit of history and especially the science behind what we were making , and why the shape is how it is etc. The people on the course had mixed capability but we all proudly came away with a superbly made longbow. I don’t know where the time went ! I loved every minute and I now have a wonderful longbow and a new hobby! Gavin is a great teacher, full of fun and it was a great weekend. I went with a friend, though it would be fine on your own since everyone was friendly. We all finished on time too. Our course was in Nailsworth, there is a good fish and chip shop next to a pub that brews its own beer, and they let you take your chips in! We also ate at Amalfi Italian restaurant which was very good. We stayed at the Amberly hotel , its a bit out of the way but v good freshly cooked breakfast, nice bar, friendly staff and pretty setting. There’s also a fish shop that does food, fish soup was excellent for lunch."

22 Sep 19'

Niall Macdonald reviewed: English longbow making weekend in the heart of Nailsworth Gloucestershire

"I've just returned home from this amazing course. Gavin was a superb instructor, knowledgeable, engaging and a consummate craftsman. The were eight of us on the course, some who were already archers and others, like myself, who just wanted a new challenge and to produce something amazing. From the outset Gavin had a way of teaching that was both instructive and entertaining, describing each stage in enough detail to allow us to carry out the work without being too prescriptive. The result was that by the end of Sunday everyone had an individual bow that looked fantastic and suited the maker perfectly. I cannot recommend this course highly enough. Thank you Gavin. Niall"

15 Sep 19'

Jonathan Thomas reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"This course was bought for my 50th Birthday by my best mate. 5 of us took part in the weekend. I have to say it was one of the best things I have ever done. It was so well organised and the skills taught were presented in such a great way. We all walked away with a wonderful knife and some wonderful memories. Highly recommend due to the quality of instruction and the format of the weekend. Thank you so much for a weekend I will never forget"

27 Aug 19'

Ben Horridge reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"I highly recommend the course. Arian is a very inspiring teacher. You gain experience working with metal, wood and leather. I got the bug and taken up knife making as a hobby as a result of the course."

26 Jul 19'

Stephen Trant reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"A very enjoyable course led by a friendly instructor who showed a real interest in the knives produced and had a genuine desire for everyone to make a good knife. The level of instruction was tailored to each person on the course and never felt overbearing which allowed everyone to create their own designs and resulted in individual unique knives. I came away from the course with a real sense of achievement which is repeated each time I look at the knife I made."

21 Jul 19'

Chris Overs reviewed: Knife making weekend Gloucestershire

"Arian is a very likeable and good teacher; he communicated very well all aspects of the craft. It was a very enjoyable couple of days covering metalwork, woodwork and leather work as well as all other the aspects of creating and looking after the useful handmade personal tool of your own knife made by you from raw materials. If you have any basic DIY skills you will enjoy and be able to fly through this coursevand end up with a beautiful knife."