South West Community Woodlands Trust 

Who we are

Julia Cox M.A. Hons  Environmental Studies Glasgow University

 Jools has always been passionate about the environment and has a long involvement in community project development and rural sustainability. Jools has a broad knowledge and experience in nature based tourism, regional food development, environmental and arts projects with a particular expertise in sustainable community development and environmental education. Jools involvement in arts, catering, musical events, green tourism, education and sustainable building provides constant inspiration for her work and leisure activities.
Jools is a freelance environmental consultant with RSK ERA and the Carbon Centre, she is an Eco Schools assessor, a member of ‘The Feral Choir’, is an event organiser for ‘Corsock Events’ is chairperson of the Scottish Wild Harvest Association and is passionate about cooking and using local seasonal and ‘wild’ food..
Jools has been a trustee of South West Community Woodlands Trust for many years and shares the event organising and catering at Taliesin. She is the project manager for the Orchards and Wild Harvest Project and hopes everyone will become involved with South West Community Woodlands in some way to keep in touch with the earth.

Jem Cox Master Thatcher

Jem has been thatching for 30 years and has worked on many historical Scottish buildings including, Burns Cottage Alloway, Souter Jonnies Cottage Kirkoswald, the Culloden battlefield cottage, and locally the Cruck Cottage at Torthorwald  the IronAge roundhouse at Marthrown of Mabie, and the compost loo at Taliesin!
Jem is an expert green woodworker, caterer, environmental artist, works with schools and is a frequent course leader for South West Community Woodlands Trust.
As well as thatching, woodwork and wood stove installation, Jem works with Hattrick and Friends offering circus skills and he is a stiltwalker often seen at the Kirkcudbright Children’s festival and Castle Douglas Gala.
Jems thatching skills and the materials he works with: reed. heather, bracken, straw, inspire the design of his art and craft work

Galloway Shoemaker

www.clogandshoe.co.uk

I was born in the Sussex countryside. My grandfather was a country man, kept bees, tended his holding and historically rebuilt old Sussex timber framed houses before it became trendy. My uncle had an interest in an old sawmill. My mother introduced me to the remnants of cottage crafts that were still about, inspiring me and giving me an interest in the working countryside and in particular wood crafts. I trained as a woodwork teacher, but soon grew dissatisfied with being stuck in a room all day, and travelled to Scotland to teach outdoor activities. I settled in Dumfries and Galloway, started an organic smallholding with my family, running short courses in outdoor activities, woodwork and country skills. In the early 90's I started a mobile sawmilling and timber seasoning business, built furniture and wood products for the house building and repair trades, as it seemed to me a terrible waste that most of our local timber ended up as firewood or pulp.

I have been supportive of South West Community Woodlands from its early days and have, in recent years been more involved, as a trustee. I have donated the services of my sawmill, been involved with the building of the log cabin and the Cruck frame. I try to help with the setting up and smooth running of the courses. I help with the repair and maintainance of our piece of land. I like to see and help SW community woodlands to run smoothly, continuing develop both the leisure and Educational sides, and also help rekindle professional country skills in and around the area. My dream is a residential community woodland with the dwellers working on sustainable employment within the Galloway countryside.

Born North America 1941,
Scotland since 1972    
Glass design & execution, landscape design & execution, experimental structures & shelters.
Exhibits US, Europe, Japan & Palnackie
Senior Lecturer in Glass, 1985-90;
Lecture/demos: US, Uk, & Europe.
Organiser of "The Tent", for many years Scotland's premier annual Quality Craft/design event. Active in local Community Forestry & environmental events. A wide range of production and unique work produced in glass throughout three decades and still counting...

Woodland and the development of a 'forest culture', inclusive of agriculture and other rural land uses, is an area of great personal interest.

I am a relative newcomer to South West Community Woodland Trust. I have lived in Scotland since 2004 and Auchencairn since 2005. I have a degree in Pure and Applied Ecology and a long history of being taught about natural history 'live' by my very knowledgeable family. I am a midwife by trade (although not currently employed as one as I am doing other work for the Health Board) and a musician whenever I get the chance.
I take any opportunity to bring people to Taliesin including family, friends and the local Youth Club. I help wherever I can at the events and workshops, when I am not trying my hand at whatever is on offer at the various courses! I would like to encourage people to take any opportunity to take a 'breather' from the rush of life and Taliesin is a fine place to start. Learning new skills in the company of excellent people has become one of my regular highlights as well as quiet solitary moments perched under the cruck frame in the rain.

Sue became a trustee in January 2010. This was taken during the coppicing weekend in February 2010 looking back towards Taliesin.

Spiros also became a trustee in January 2010. This was coppicing in action on the hillside near Taliesin.

I am a founder member of Taliesin and has always had the focus of Rural Regeneration at the heart of my work. Apart from the joys of making soup at Taliesin, I sing,walk, bike, knit and swim in the sea as often as I can, tides permitting! and also have, among many other things created the collection Vanishing Scotland.
My focus has been and is now the Affordable Land Project for Food production, Eco build and sharing assets and skills between the Elders and the Young. My best Life experience was building the Kayak with the Inupiak Eskimo Sean at Taliesin in October 2008. This is available for anyone who wishes to paddle in her. You can read all about it elsewhere on this web site.
I will also teach knitting to anybody, current obsession socks...onto my 4th pair here in NZ!!