Reflections by Cat Poppensieker, Project Coordinator Woodworking and Gender Project

In September last year, thanks to generous funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (and match funding provided by Conran Foundation, The Mila Charitable Trust, Benchmark Furniture Ltd, Vastern Timber Ltd), we officially began the Woodworking and Gender Project. Our goal is simple but ambitious: to tackle gender inequality in heritage woodworking and furniture making and to do it in a way that’s practical, collaborative, and sustainable.

A year on, we’ve been amazed by the momentum this project has gathered.

Training and opportunities

We started the year with Summer School 2024, our first as part of the Woodworking and Gender Project. Partnering with ercol, we welcomed eight early-career designers and makers (seven women and one trans participant) to work on a live design brief using Grown in Britain homegrown timber. Over the week, they developed their making and design skills while exploring two of our core values: better stewardship of our forests and celebrating the creative potential of UK-grown wood.

In May, we piloted our first six-week Workshop Experience Course for women, trans, and non-binary makers with some prior experience. Just long enough to grow a real sense of belonging in the workshop environment, the course is designed to give participants a taste of working at a commercial workshop pace, while focused on building both skills and confidence. Seven makers took part and rated their experience an average of 4.83 out of 5. The results speak for themselves: two are now in full-time bespoke furniture making roles, one is starting a freelance practice, and four have gone on to formal qualifications.

To ensure visible role models, we engaged industry leading external female tutors, all inspiring designers/makers in their own right, on all our courses.

Growing a movement

In November, we launched our new project website and ran our annual Sector Survey alongside our popular Carving Change seminar. Over two days, 60 participants from across industry and education came together to share ideas, experiences, and strategies for change. The survey gathered 106 responses from across the UK, representing over 800 people, providing insights that will guide the project for the next two years.

We’ve also been out and about: speaking at national events and visiting workshops, schools, and employers across the UK. Our network is growing: employers and educators are reaching out for advice on recruiting a more gender-diverse workforce, and applications for Summer School 2025 have come from as far afield as Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

Building community

Beyond skills training, a big part of our work is creating spaces where gender-diverse makers can meet, share, and collaborate. This year we launched our “Gender Diverse Makers Meet” a gathering for women, trans, and non-binary makers to connect and support one another. We also facilitate “Mary’s Workshop”, a shared workshop space with up-to three benches. The space is supporting early career makers, those facing barriers to employment or progression or available for temporary use for projects and wood/ craft based research.

What has been most special to me this year is meeting so many inspiring, switched-on, and passionate people of all genders in the industry – people who really want to make change happen. They are leading projects, schools, companies, workshops, careers, and communities with such compassion, care, and purpose. It has been a privilege to share ideas, challenges, and resources with them and make friends along the way.

Thank you!

We couldn’t do this without the students who bring energy and courage to our courses, the businesses and education providers who share our vision and spread the word, and our funders for believing in this work.

A special thanks also goes to Sylva Foundation, the Wood School team, Sylva staff, our project Steering Group and all Sylva tenants, who have welcomed course participants and visitors with warmth and generosity, and who support the project on the ground every single day.

Looking ahead

Year Two will bring another six-week course, a new Summer School cohort, more Gender Diverse Makers Meets, and fresh partnerships across the UK. Our aim is the same as when we started: to build skills, confidence, and community and in doing so, make the heritage woodworking and furniture making sector a more inclusive, equitable place for everyone.