Cumbria School of Saddlery

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the news section of the website. I have been accused by a magazine of allowing the site to become out-of-date and that is because I don't get at it often enough. Be re-assured, however, that all is well and the organisation is running like a well-oiled machine. Just ring or email me for the latest stuff going down at the Cumbria School of Saddlery.

Despite all the dire predictions in the news this year has been another busy one for the school. There have been many full courses and lots of work of high quality have emerged. I love to see all the different personalities beginning to work as a group, finding a way through problems and coming up with a good result. The look on someone's face that has produced a fine piece of work after several setbacks just does it for me.

2011 started with heavy snow and freezing temperatures but luckily nothing had to be cancelled. Then, after three courses and a posh briefcase order completed, the 12th February found us on a flight to New Zealand. The big event here was the earthquake in Christchurch which (Praise the Lord) we missed by leaving the city four days before it happened.

Back to work in March and then later, some serious training on the bike and fundraising for a London to Paris cycle ride on 1st June. This was a tremendous experience and will be long remembered. The interesting aspect for me as the oldest (64) in the group of a hundred was how the others regarded me as an inspiration, giving me hugs at the Eiffel Tower! I managed to raise just over £2k thanks to my students, family and friends and a well-known supplier of buckles and bits. Thank you for your generosity! There will be a few loos flushing in parts of India where there were none before, thanks to you. For me it was a dream holiday – hotels arranged, no bags to carry on the bike; food stops, excellent grub, good companions, hot weather, following winds. I thoroughly recommend it.

There is now a facility on the website to pay for courses and tools through Paypal. Also, thanks to Debbie who used her Flip camera to great effect and sent me a little film, there are now links to Youtube. Here you can watch an old geezer in a green apron demonstrating the use of a Highland Park whisky bottle; sheep's femur, roe deer antler, valve grinding paste, bits of broken glass and scraps of blackened canvas and other bridlework skills. There may be more in the future.

Lastly, I must show you Sam's excellent piano accordian case. Sam and Alyson are Egan Bridlework on the Isle of Man. The pictures demonstrate how he took on a mammoth and difficult task, showed great determination and skill, completed the job and is to be admired. Well done Sam!

Wishing you the very best for 2012,
Yours,

David