The Ellwood Branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA) has organised a three-day event championing traditional crafts including dry stone walling, hedgelaying, stonemasonry, blacksmithing, printmaking, brewing and more.

Taking place in Shepley in Yorkshire, The Trad Crafts Festival will run from 30 August — 1 September and will feature various courses and demonstrations including beginners' dry stone walling workshops as well as the freehand masterclass. There will also be the continuation of a Bothy build from last year and a Devon ditch (vertical stonework backed with rammed earth) workshop by Tim Sloper, a waller from Cornwall. Tom Whitehead from Mainstone Carving will be doing stonemasonry demonstrations, too. 

Camping pitches are available and, in addition to the crafts, there will be lots of food, a bar and live music on the Friday and Saturday evenings.

The festival is run on a not-for-profit basis purely for the love of traditional crafts, by an entirely volunteer team from the Ellwood Branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain. The DSWA is an organisation which promotes the craft of walling (and the preservation of walls themselves) throughout Britain and the world. The Ellwood Branch is a branch of the DSWA founded in 2019 specifically to support the professional development of young wallers.

Ellwood DSWA welcomes enquiries from potential sponsors, funders, vendors and craftspeople. More information can be found at: tradcraftsfest.com