There’s was much for kids to do at Bakewell Country Festival – crafts with StraightCurves, interactive music sessions with Luke Carver-Goss and Martin Harwood, dance workshops, bushcraft skills with Woodland Ways, a traditional helter skelter and sideshow stalls, animal displays, biscuit decorating, planting workshops and lots more.
Visitors to Bakewell Country Festival were able to indulge in food and drink from local independent producers across the food courts and market areas. With brilliant traders including Sunshine Pizza Oven, Bradfield Brewery and The Gin Hare – Mobile Bar already on board you KNOW it’s going to be a delicious day out!
Among the attractions was the Drystone Wallers Association the walling stone used in demonstration was supplied by Mandale Derbyshire Fossil Limestone.
The Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA) was established in 1968 and is a registered charity that works to advance education in the craft and heritage of dry stone walling for the public benefit.
Under charity law the Dry Stone Walling Association is governed by a board of Trustees, who are volunteers. The Trustee Board consists of up to twelve elected Trustees and from this number the Trustees elect a Chairman and Deputy Chairman. All the Association’s legal responsibilities lie with the Trustees who formulate the Association’s direction, policies, budget and staffing levels.
There are currently two sub committees:
The Craft Skills Group, responsible for the Association’s training and certification activities.
The Staffing Committee, looking at the staffing requirements of the Association.
The Association employs one full time Administrator to manage the day to day running of the national office and an Admin Assistant. The Training and Education Coordinator is currently a freelance part-time post
Whether you just want to learn a new skill or you are ready for a career change, you will find plenty of information on our courses on the Training Pages. Our Branch network throughout the UK offers mainly beginner courses where you can learn the basics of dry stone walling. For those who want to develop their skills with a view to a career change or gaining nationally recognised qualifications there are Qualification Courses held at our National Training Site near Kendal.
Since its formation the DSWA has grown in to a national organisation recognised and respected for its work. The national office is based in Cumbria and there are 18 regional branches spread throughout the UK.
What The DWSA Does
Dry stone walls have been part of the landscape of the UK for thousands of years. The DSWA is the country’s only organisation dedicated to protecting this rich history.
It is estimated that there are over 193,000 km of dry stone field walls in the UK but only 13% of these are in good condition, 17% in an advanced stage of decay and the remaining 70% are derelict.
The DSWA is committed to raising awareness of the importance of our dry stone walls and their heritage to both the general public, land owners and the government. The Association, both nationally and through its network of local branches, runs numerous training courses throughout the year. This ensures the skills required to maintain and build new walls are passed down to the next generation of dry stone wallers.
If you are keen to learn more about the craft of dry stone walling and our landscape heritage, have a look at our Education Pages. In the Discovery Centre you will find fun games for the children and example lessons for teachers, together with a wealth of information and articles about this traditional craft and its role in our built landscape heritage.
Our Photographic Project has a vast archive of photographs and facts about interesting dry stone walling features in the landscape. This project was funded for North West England by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
