Category: Events

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Making space News

January 2026

Equipment for a large school visit
With more interpreters we can bring larger pieces of equipment and give larger groups of pupils a small group experience.

Requests for school visits are starting to come in! If you would like to be involved and haven’t seen the e-mails please get in touch.

We are continuing the Winter break from drop in “Making Space” evenings to take advantage of the opportunity raised by The Stove with “Phanto Spectra”. If you haven’t booked already check it out.

Phanto Spectra
Aidan has been shaping wood into a stand!

Of course, activated members have been active throughout the holidays! Making has continued and we have gauges for sizing oars. A ply rudder blade is roughly shaped and it will be ready for testing when the ice on the water melts. Just the fittings to forge!


Activated members also help keep a roof over the Cluaran club head! In 2026 Wordsmith Crafts CIC will need to focus on the “company” side of CIC a bit more. The community tends to run on goodwill and trade, but The Workshop roof is going to need replaced and due partly to complexities in the building materials this will cost cash. We now have three years of activity reports and this will hopefully provide a basis to develop the board of directors. The aim is to hold this in the first week in February!

Have a look at the journey so far and get in touch if you reckon you have skills to contribute to keeping things afloat and on course. Annual Reports at the Bottom of this page

Drop in Making space will return on the evening of Thursday the 22nd of January. Plan is to keep Thursday evenings clear for Cluaran until the 26th of March. Check the calendar to see if it will be a club drop in at the workshop, a night at the pub, or another adventure!

Free if it is your first time, £5 towards club overheads after that. These are not taught craft workshops – but get in touch if you are interested in one of those!

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Making space

Making Space in December

Last Thursday, and the week before, have been productive for Making Space.

Last week we were blacksmithing. Newbies were working on chain, and some of the links were even fire welded.

Last Thursday we did an overview of the oars. We researched some books and asked someone on the other side of the world if they had a plan. There always also a hands on exploration of historical ring making.

While we worked Gavin told a story providing a new perspective on the troubled life of wolves. Apparantly red cloaked agents of malice disturb their habitat.

This week there will be another opportunity to take time out to make things, come and help get the oars ready for next season, or just say hi and chat.

Free if it is your first time, £5 towards club overheads after that. These are not taught craft workshops – but get in touch if you are interested in one of those!

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Events News storytelling

BASH

This Thursday, BASH at the riverside tap with Storytelling by Simon.

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BASH are a collective who make improvised music which defies definition. They have been playing together for a while now, and occasionally have guests.

This Thursday (the 6th of November) they will be playing at the Riverside Tap in Dumfries. Simon Lidwell will be improvising some stories with them!

So this is the Cluaran event for the week. Ancient tales of the otherworld combining with music made in the moment. Autumnal poetry where semantics settle like leaves on the sound waves and decomposition warms the room, with the smell of rest surrounding the gathered company.

BASH with Simon storytelling 1900 onwards, the Riverside Tap, the Vennel, Dumfries – free gig!

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Events News

Making space

Coals on a smithing hearth

Thursday evening are Cluaran evenings!

In the workshop. 19.00 to 21.00

Drop in with your own project. Share skills to try something new.

(Pay what you can/£5 contribution to the Cluaran club if you have the cash. Contributions in kind welcomed as well. Ask about Wordsmith Crafts Cluaran and Quartz memberships too!)

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Events News

Winter 2025

Thursday evening are Cluaran evenings!

Keep the evening free for hands on access to heritage. In the run up to Christmas we will be gathering for a range of activities. More details of each evening will be posted here.

Making Space:
Drop in with your own project. Share skills to try something new.

Storytelling:

In the workshop or a local pub

Boat maintenance: Many tasks needing done before the summer!

Or a community volunteering task.

We will post details of each evening here. We will start with a Making Space evening on the 30th of October. The last evening of this batch will be the 11th of December.

(Pay what you can/£5 contribution to the Cluaran club if you have the cash. Contributions in kind welcomed as well. Ask about Wordsmith Crafts Cluaran and Quartz memberships too!)

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boat building Events

Nithraid 2025

The River Wanderer

23rd of August, Dumfries

– Boats on the Nith

@contact us! if you would like to row on the river. Even better, let us know if you would like to sit and make model boats with people. In particular, pop pop boats from recycled materials. This draws attention to the principles of boat building – and also how precious recycled resources can be. Other styles of boat are possible too, and we will have a paddling pool set up to test them in so they don’t wash away downstream.

We are preparing components in advance of the day. Participants will be able to sit down and combine them to make something which floats. If they have time they can optimise their toy boat and see how well they can get it to work.

While preparing for the day we have been reminded just how engaging this process can be. Hours can vanish while the combination of boiler, candle, and hull are tweaked to get the best from the system.

There is an opportunity to practice this on Thursday evening in the wordsmithcrafts workshop 7-9pm.

We will need to set up on Friday evening but need to be sure of a full crew if we are going to row.

If the weather prevents rowing or we don’t have enough crew we will sit for a longer time in our medieval pavilion and make some model boats.

The overall programme for Nithraid can be found here:

Programme

Cluaran in 2023 cattle rustling with the Salty Coo. Our crew were time travellers that year!

Nithraid 2023

Simon experimenting with making model boats out of precious recycled materials. We will bring parts for people to have a go at making their own.

We are hopefully bringing our DIY curragh “Catken” along too – but it is an elderly boat now…

Catken
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Events Rowing

Muster!

Upcoming activities in June

Simon plans to take Cluaran on the water on the evening of Thursday the 5th. Gather at the WSC workshop at 18.00 and we will check the weather. Perhaps we will make to to the pub afterwards this time!

We will be introducing people to Viking era rowing at Carmunnock Gala (firmly on dry land) on Saturday the 14th, and the local primary school the day before.

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Events

Pen and Think

Stories have been plucked from the wind and passed down to us from ancient days, with the aid of goose feathers. The quills of scribes fluttered over a thousand years ago to record tales that were much older.

Come and experience storyteller Simon Lidwell bringing a selection of these to life. The tales will be chosen to imagine how the place we know as Dumfries has formed.

What stories would early Iron age folk tell when they forded the river?  Why did Devorgilla build a bridge to get people to Whithorn? After each story there will be the opportunity to reflect and chat.

There will also be the opportunity to find out more about writing using a “good goose quill pen” and making medieval ink – and perhaps you might like to have a go!

Access to the church hall can be had via the Brooms Road entrance.

Pen & Think Event

Book here

The event will be free to access, but donations gratefully received.

This event is being held in conjunction with Wordsmith Crafts and St Michaels church for the 2025 Spring Wild Goose Festival.

Pen And Think

Date: 14 apr • 10:30

Location: 87 Saint Michael Street, Dumfries, DG1 2LA

Share and enjoy these version of the poster!

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Making space News

Making Space

Making Space will return for February.


Thursday evenings 19.00 to 21.00

 
This is a club not a led workshop.

Think of it as an excuse to get round to it, especially the things it would be unwise to do on your kitchen table. Bring your own materials and projects. You could also try something new with the donated materials and tools we have accumulated – or turn junk into raw materials ready to be used.

From time to time regulars are willing to share their skills and materials, and so some evenings will have a theme. Information about that, and any costs, will be posted on this site.

We ask for £5 a time to cover overheads,

or you can contribute in kind if you are short of cash, chat with Simon.  

Make a candle holder on the 6th!

Thursdays 19.00 to 21.00Wordsmithcrafts Studio,
3 James Avenue, DG2 9AU
 30th of January
Making Space
6th of February
Simon – Blacksmithing intro
Make a candle lifter/lamp
£15
13thMaking Space
20th NO MAKING SPACE
26th Perhaps with added stories?

If you’d like to support what’s going on in a more regular pattern then you could become a Cluaran member.

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Events

White Hot Too

Before lockdown we used to hold “making Space” sessions in the studio. They were called “White Hot” events,  because one of the crafts available is smithing.

Well, this year there will be another opportunity

This is not a class,  but it is a chance to get round to it. An opportunity to share skills. Recycled and gathered materials are available for free.  Contribute what you can to support Cluaran overheads and use of the space. 

Simon has a variety of materials for sale as well