This spring, craftspeople from Orkney to Oregon came together in a community meadow in Presteigne, mid Wales, for a weekend of eco-building organised by Alison Parry and Anne Belgrave of Double Take who stage arts, crafts and sustainability events. It was intended to boost people’s confidence in trying sustainable techniques by giving them hands on experience.
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Kiko Denzer prepares to fire the newly constructed clay oven ready for baking bread © Michael Green

Four structures were built, all of them small scale so that everyone would feel encouraged to do something similar in their own back yards. ‘I want everybody to be building with natural materials,’ said Anne. ‘People know about this stuff but they are not really doing it.’

Barbara Jones of Amazon Nails in Yorkshire taught the principles of working with straw while a group constructed a curved, straw bale loveseat, which was then decorated with relief sculpture made from daub. Another group, led by Pete Lawley from Precious Earth, a green building materials shop in Ludlow, Shropshire, created a recycling roundhouse that was roofed with attractive-looking tiles made from rubber tyres.
American earth sculptor, Kiko Denzer, showed how simple it is to bake your own clay oven as well as delicious loaves of bread while Stephanie Bunn from Orkney got people weaving a beautiful summerhouse using willow supplied by a local basket maker.

The structures will be on show during the SheepMusic Festival this July, when there will also be more workshops on sustainable building. ‘It’s been an amazing atmosphere!’ enthused Anne. ‘It’s very exciting to see everyone so engrossed.’ School children from the area are visiting the site during the summer term, and Anne and Alison are already planning a similar venture for next year.
FURTHER INFORMATION : Precious Earth, 22 Corve Street, Ludlow, SY8 1DA. Tel: 01584 878633
WEB SITE : http://​www​.preciousearth​.co​.uk