'Bristol: Ambitious City' at the Architecture Centre on Bristol Waterfront

A self-portrait carved by me is in this exhibition at the moment. The show is about different ways that Bristol might develop as a city and also provides a space for relevant local organisations to show what they do as well.

The Forest of Avon Wood Products Cooperative, of which I'm a member, are showing what we are doing as tenants to maintain and improve the Bower Ashton woodyard.

The FOAWP Coop is a not-for-profit marketing cooperative which has existed for twelve years and promotes using local, sustainably sourced timbers as much as possible. It also seeks to develop networks to help local timber growers and users. You can see more at:
http://www.forestofavonproducts.co.uk/

The woodyard consists of the original estate buildings for Ashton Court, including the old sawmill and granary. Currently there are eight woodworking businesses based in workshops there, all of whom are members of the FOAWP Cooperative. The courtyard is shared with the Bristol Council estates department and the Ashton Court rangers.

The Coop sees the potential to turn these buildings into a creative hub promoting local timber use in everything from large scale play constructions to fine carving. Ideally, it could become a recognised centre that would develop national and international connections in the woodworking, artistic, crafts and architectural worlds. Whether this can happen depends on the cooperative getting a further tenancy lease from the council when the current term is up in three years time.

If you are in Bristol, why not drop by and read more about it? The exhibition ends on the 23rd July and the Cooperative's contribution will be there for the next two weeks.