The People
From the simple idea of bringing together spectacular artists and crafts people to a weekend luxury retreat like no other! This unique event would be pointless without the people who make it happen and run our fabulous workshops.
Meet our Makers!
Billy Goodworth
Organiser & Crafter
Founder of The Great Craft Retreat as well as Bill's Workshop, a small bespoke blacksmithing and woodwork business that started life in his Grandpas' old shed. Billy or Bill as he is now known is incredibly passionate about everyone learning and being exposed to practical and creative arts as creativity is one of the most beautiful but often forgotten aspects of being human.
"The idea of the great retreats came to me after meeting up with many different makers and realising that each of us loves it, the muck, the sweat, the graft and even the working through the long nights to get a job done, all to produce a item for someone else. Using skills and techniques that haven't changed much in centuries. I also found out that collectively we also love to share our passion with others, which got me thinking, why don't we pool together and create a truly spectacular weekend. So we made it happen."
AL
Open fire chef
Al is a member of the growing global maker community, celebrating like minded creatives from blacksmiths to bookbinders. Having worked in kitchens from an early age, from Michelin quality to banqueting and bistros, he sees food as the common language shared by everyone. Al now focuses on simple outdoor cooking using fire and local, seasonal ingredients.
Adam Adrian
Photographer
With a variety of photographic work in music and craft events under my belt, as well as working with small local businesses, I am really excited to capture all the wonderful moments across the Great Craft Weekend! I have a great passion for the outdoors as well, heading out on many different adventures, such as canoeing the Thames, hiking in the Alps, and many many cycle tours across the UK and Europe. I have worked with the likes of Readipop Festival, Deep Dish Volleyball, Reading University, Bill’s Workshop, Sheabutter Cottage, ICHF Events, Nielson and much more!
I can’t wait to see you all!
adamadrian.com
The Craftspeople
From hammer to chisel, hide to steel. They transform matter with knowledge, skill and no small amount of creativity. Our crafts people live and work in industries that most people believe is a dying way of life, however our crafts people are keeping the skills thriving, passing them on to others with their own courses.
Michael Amphlett
Woodworking
I mostly make spoons and smaller treen, always hand carved, in freshly felled green-wood, often salvaged windfall, and use just axes and knives to shape and fashion a functional item. The act of reshaping something that has grown naturally, often over many decades, is an extraordinarily satisfying endeavour.
Sometimes the physical nature of the wood will lead the way - perhaps via a natural bend or twist - sometimes, a straightforward plan will also work. The skill is realising what can be achieved and, which tools to use to get there. This is doubly satisfying when the item is finished and looks and feels good in the hand.
I rarely decorate or paint items, as I prefer to let wood and grain show their intrinsic beauty and speak for themselves. Nothing I make has a ‘sandpapered’ finish, sharp steel blades leave their own sheen, and are the ‘makers-marks’.
After carving for 13 years, I still get the same feeling when absorbed in carving an item, the direct connection with nature is obvious and, very satisfying.
Tutoring is also very satisfying, passing skills to those new to craftwork, and showing that knives and axes can be used for surprisingly fine work and, if they are handled correctly, are not dangerous at all.
In recent years, I’ve also exhibited and sold my work at local craft fairs and art-weeks, another unexpected and satisfying reward for all the hard work!
Design Junction Winchester
Ceramicists
Coming Soon!
Bill's Workshop
Blacksmiths
Starting life in an old shed Bill's Workshop quickly developed into a bespoke wood and Blacksmiths workshop with owner Billy Goodworth the sole operator of the business. In recent years the success of our experience days and courses has seen us teach over 100 students in 2024 the ancient tradition of blacksmithing. t has also evolved from solely bespoke commissions into a small production forge that produces high end forged stainless cookware.
Since its beginning Bills Workshop has been devoted to truly handmade quality items expressing what a creative and colourful medium metalwork can be! Teaching our workshops at The Great Craft Retreat are the right hand men in Bills Workshop highly decorated 'smiths in their own right with endless passion and knowledge for the craft.
Stonesfield Leather
We are Aimee & Pete, the owners of Stonesfield Leather, a leather crafting studio and supplies shop dedicated to creating beautiful, functional, and sustainable leather goods and great quality tools and supplies. With a background in environmental biology, we are passionate about using natural, eco-friendly materials and traditional techniques to craft timeless pieces. We’ve been teaching leather crafting at festivals, especially woodcraft events, for several years, and love introducing beginners to this rewarding craft.
Willow Weaving
Coming Soon!
The Artists
With years of experience in the industry selling their masterpieces in galleries nationwide as well as decades of teaching experience between them our artists are as enthusiastic about creating a memorable weekend as it gets!
Tasha Arkell
Botanical Artist
Founded in 2020, tishpaints began as a small creative venture during lockdown. Created by UK-based artist Tasha Arkell, tishpaints has blossomed into a floral hub of creativity, offering eco-friendly stationery, home decor, and original artwork—all designed to bring the beauty of the outside world into your home while being kind to the planet.
Passionate about sustainability, Tasha ensures that all her creations are sustainable or made from recycled materials—from the paper used for printing greeting cards to the frames and cotton that make her canvases! At tishpaints, we believe that eco-friendly living can be both beautiful and effortless.
Since 2023, Tasha has also shared her love of art by teaching various painting workshops that celebrate the natural world and encourage others to embrace their creativity!
Mark Lord
Lino Artist
"My photography always returned to the idea of a good life: the artisans who still make and work in a natural, hands-on way. Fishermen, bakers, makers: I wanted to claim that analogue life for myself, and traditional printmaking offered me the opportunity.”
Mark Lord aka Lino Lord, is a professional photographer whose 22-year career behind the camera led to a passion for capturing the essence of the natural world, his heritage growing up on the Cornish coast and the people that look after their small corner of the world. In 2019 he set up a studio space at home & started carving a few lino blocks. After the COVID pandemic temporarily put a hold on his photography career he was able to spend more time in his print studio rather than behind a camera.
"I’m Cornish born and bred, as are my parents and grandparents before me. I grew up in a small village a couple of miles from Falmouth, too far away to hear the sea perhaps but certainly close enough for it to play a huge part in my life. I’m neither a fisherman or sailor but that doesn’t stop the feeling of connection to the rolling waves and rugged shores that I think every Cornishman shares". Lino Lord prints lean into the rich history of craft from Cornwall, embracing timeless techniques to capture fascinating natural and iconic imagery. From the naive folk art of rural England to the St Ives school of artists, retro-chic contemporary objects, and simple Scandinavian design, Lino Lord’s work embodies a natural, distinctive style.
'The joy of printmaking for me is rooted in the traditional tools and time honoured techniques that create beautiful, affordable art for every wall. Each print is entirely handmade by me - from the first sketch, to inking the lino and turning the wheel of the press. I enjoy the honest, analogue process and no two prints are ever the same'
Mark has since started spreading his love of lino printing by teaching others how to develop their skills & get creative. Mark enjoys sharing the skills he has developed over the last 5 years with his students, from drafting the design, carving the lino & printing the final artwork. Mark finds that inspiring others to start their journey with printmaking is particularly a rewarding part of his own printmaking journey.
Beccy Wigglesworth
Ceramicist
All my life I’ve been captivated by the wonderful feeling of making things with your own two hands - from scavenging lichens to dye sheep's wool as a kid, to whittling sticks and sewing clothes, and of course working with clay to make beautiful and functional objects.
I concentrate mostly on ceramics now, sharing the process with people who want to experience the joy of creating something useful from just a lump of mud! Both throwing on the wheel, with its frustrations then exhilarations, or the calmer and mindful sculpting and hand building are enjoyable. It’s a real pleasure to see somebody’s ideas, and their inspirations from nature, translate into a finished object.
Clay is a wonderful material because so much can be created with so little. When hand building, with just your hands and virtually no tools you can make something beautiful, unique and durable which, when glazed and fired, will last a lifetime.
Paul Heatherton
Traditional Sign Writing
Coming Soon!