Tinkers Bubble - Events

Upcoming events

Woodland Management Weekends - 2024/25

4 long weekends managing the woodland and sharing fire-side space in the evenings. All our work is with hand tools - mainly crosscut saws and axes - and so the tree felling weekends in particular are fairly physical. We will work in small teams with an experienced forester leading each team. This year we will have 1 weekend dedicated to working in the Hazel coppice and 3 weekends will be a mixture of forestry work, including tree-felling.

8-10 November 2024 - Coppicing. FULLY BOOKED
24 - 26 January 2025 - Woodland Management. FULLY BOOKED
21 - 23 February 2025 - Woodland Management.
21 - 23 March 2023 - Woodland Management.

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals and shared accommodation is provided. Arrivals are on Thursday evening, leaving on Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Please email us from August onwards if you are interested in volunteering for a weekend, letting us know why you'd like to attend. 2 months before each weekend we will allocate places. We get a lot of people interested in attending, and try to evalute applications to provide a balanced group, including of experience.

We would like to acknowledge that the UK forestry sector tends not to be particularly diverse. As part of what Tinkers Bubble is, we hope that we can learn to undo some of these patterns, and have been glad to see more focus on wellbeing, and a balance between genders, in our woodland events in the last couple of years. We hope to continue this, and acknowledge that there is still a long way for us and the forestry industry to go. If you feel that these issues may disproportionately affect you, you are welcome to contact us about it.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Summer Volunteer Events 2025

We have had initial chats about residential gardening weekends and monthly volunteer afternoons during the summer. Info will be added here once we know what we're up to.

Open Day 2025

Our next open day is likely to be in autumn 2025. Info will be added here nearer the time.

Past events

NB we've lost some of our archive due to technical problems so some old events are missing.

Seed Swap - Sun 26th Feb 2023 2-4pm

A small event to swap seeds and chat about the upcoming growing season. Everyone with an interest in growing is welcome - no need to have your own seeds, and no cost. We'll be in our barn next to the car park (up the lane from Little Norton) between 2 and 4 - drop in when you feel like it.

Woodland Management Weekends - 2022/23

18-20 November 2022 - Woodland Management. FULLY BOOKED
13-15 January 2023 - Woodland Management. FULLY BOOKED
17-19 February 2023 - Coppicing. FULLY BOOKED
17-19 March 2023 - Woodland Management. FULLY BOOKED

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided. Arrivals are on Thursday evening, leaving on Sunday evening or Monday morning.

We would like to acknowledge that the UK forestry sector tends not to be particularly diverse. As part of what Tinkers Bubble is, we hope that we can learn to undo some of these patterns, and have been glad to see more focus on wellbeing, and a balance between genders, in our woodland events in 2021/22. We hope to continue this in 2022/23, and acknowledge that there is still a long way for us to go. If you feel that these issues may disproportionately affect you, you are welcome to contact us about it.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Open Day - Saturday 1st Oct 2022

We will hold our annual open day on Saturday 1st October. The main gathering-point will be in the sawmill/pressing shed area at the bottom of the hill near our car park (up the lane from Little Norton). You are also welcome to wander our land, but please be aware of livestock and resident's privacy. We expect the programme to look something like this:

Arrivals from 11am
Tea (and hopefully cakes) available all day
Food available to buy around lunchtime
Tours of the gardens, woodland and settlement, lasting about an hour and a half, leave from the bottom of the hill at 11:30, 12:30 and 13:30.
A Q+A with residents from 15:00 to 16:00
Craft demo timings TBC: hopefully some or all of green woodworking, apple pressing, and blacksmithing.
Please leave site following the end of the Q+A at around 4pm

If possible, please arrive on foot or by bicycle to our sawmill/car park area (at the bottom of the hill), and do not drive up our lane as we have very limited car parking and no turning area. If people are travelling from further away, we recommend parking in the Ham Hill car parks and walking down from there. Our car park is along the no-through-road that runs up the valley from Little Norton. From the hamlet, go straight on at the small waterfall and enter the first gate on the left. We've got a lift-share document here.

Our land is steep, uneven, and possibly muddy - please wear appropriate footware. People with limited mobility may be able to visit the sawmill area but are unlikely to be able to acces much of the rest of our site - please contact us if you have any questions about this. We will go ahead even in heavy rain (like last year!): the weather we are more wary of are extremely strong winds as we live among trees, so check back here if these are forecast.

Everybody is welcome, and there is no charge or booking required to attend - we enjoy the chance to share what we do with neighbours, land-workers, and people interested in intentional community (and the rest of you too!).

Promise Auction (April 2nd 2022)

Details Here

In aid of our Steam Engine repairs and in celebration of the abundance of community, we have been gathering promises over the past months which will be auctioned off here on the 2nd April. These include Scything lessons, Fanny's Meadow Festival tickets, an Indian Head Massage and a week's accommodation in the Italian alps, just to name a few!

(A full list of the Auction lots will be available here shortly along with online bidding information for those who cannot join us on the day.)

The event will begin at 3pm with time to settle and look around before the first half of the auction starts at 4pm. The auction will then be followed by live music and merriment into the evening!

A delicious buffet dinner will be available and is included in the ticket price. We will also have a bar selling our hand cranked cider and other local delicacies.

For tickets please see here. Some tickets will be available on the door.

Forestry Weekends 2021/22

This winter's events are now fully booked. We will be running forestry events again next year, from November. Please check back here in the Autumn for information, and contact us then for booking.

4 long weekends managing the woodland. All our work is with hand tools - mainly crosscut saws and axes - and so the tree felling weekends in particular are fairly physical. We will work in small teams with an experienced forester leading each team. This year we will have 1 weekend dedicated to working in the Hazel coppice. The other 3 weekends will be a mixture of forestry work, including tree-felling. This year these will focus on other aspects of forestry management and timber processing because our need for timber is lower due to the hiatus in the operation of the sawmill.

19-21 November 2021 - Forestry. FULLY BOOKED.
14-16 January 2022 - Forestry. FULLY BOOKED.
18-20 February 2022 - Coppicing. FULLY BOOKED.
18-20 March 2022 - Forestry. FULLY BOOKED.

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided. Arrivals are on Thursday evening, leaving on Sunday evening or Monday morning.

We are managing bookings slightly differently this year. Please email us from August onwards if you are interested in volunteering for a weekend. 2 months before each weekend we will allocate places.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Bubble Open Day - Saturday 2nd October 2021

We are glad to invite you to our annual open day on Saturday 2nd October, between 11:00 and 16:00. There will be tours of our gardens, woodland, and houses, a chance to try your hand at apple pressing, and opportunities to talk with residents about what we get up to. Food and drink will be available for purchase. This is our rough programme:

Arrive from 11am
Tours at 11:30, 12:30, and 13:30
BBQ food available from 12:30
The forge and apple press will be running from around 11am until 2pm
We will end with a Q+A with residents, from 3pm to 4pm.

Everybody is welcome; there is no entry fee. We look forward to meeting you.

NB due to liscencing requirements, we are only holding one open day this year.

Open Day and Cider Night - Saturday 19 September 2020 - 2pm to 11pm

Our annual open day - this year we won't be running the sawmill or pressing apples, but will be doing regular tours and running our cider bar with a range of ciders we have produced, both to consume on site and to take home (please bring containers!). We will also be selling ale from Fine Tuned Brewery, teas, cakes and homemade burgers (beef from a local farm or vegan). Live music throughout the day (please get in touch if you are interested in playing)

You are welcome to camp overnight, but there is no space for camper vans.

There is plenty of room for social distancing.

Please park at the village hall in Norton sub Hamdon, as we have no parking on site.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net for more info.

Cider Evening - Saturday 22 August 2020 - 6pm to 11pm

An evening of cider, music and food at the Tinkers Bubble Cider House (bottom of the hill, above the barn). We will be selling a range of ciders which we have produced, both to consume on site and to take home (please bring containers!). We will also be selling ale from Fine Tuned Brewery and burgers from a local farm.

You are welcome to camp overnight, but there is no space for camper vans.

There is plenty of room for social distancing.

Please park at the village hall in Norton sub Hamdon, as we have no parking on site.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net for more info.

Cider Evening - Saturday 11 July 2020 - 6pm to 11pm

You are welcome to camp overnight, but there is no space for camper vans.

There is plenty of room for social distancing.

Please park at the village hall in Norton sub Hamdon, as we have no parking on site. Horse and cart transport may be available from the village, contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net if you are interested.

Cider Day - Saturday 25 April 2020 - 2pm to 11pm

Cancelled due to lockdown

A day of cider, music and food at the Tinkers Bubble Cider House (bottom of the hill, above the barn). We will be selling 9 different ciders which we have produced, both to consume on site and to take home (please bring containers!).

Please park in Norton sub Hamdon, as we have no parking on site. Horse and cart transport available from the village, contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net for details.

Forestry Weekends

3 long weekends managing the woodland. Felling trees with crosscut saws and axes, processing using hand tools. We will work in small teams with an experienced forester leading each team. This year we will focus on clearing a small area of Douglas fir and replanting with a mix of Douglas, Western red cedar and coastal redwood.

17-19 January 2020 - Tree felling. Fully booked
21-23 February 2020 - Tree felling. Date changed - spaces available!
13-15 March 2020 - Tree planting weekend - clearing ground, planting trees and protecting from deer.

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided.

Please book in advance as places can be limited. Directions will be sent out on booking.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Open Day - Saturday 28 September 2019

11am to 4pm

Steam powered saw mill demonstration: 11am - 1pm
Apple pressing with traditional Somerset press: 1pm - 4pm
Live music in the afternoon
Tours throughout the day
Kids' pony rides
Tea and delicious cakes on tap

Please keep all dogs on leads and if driving please park on Ham Hill and walk down. For directions, see Getting Here.

Coppicing Weekend - 8-10 November 2019

Come and help us with our annual coppicing long weekend. Join a group of residents and volunteers coppicing hazel stools using hand tools and restoring neglected coppice, with lots of tea, cake and tasty food in between.

This is an opportunity to experience woodland management using saws, axes and billhooks.

These events are a great chance to come together as community in the winter months and learn woodland skills in a fossil fuel free environment.

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided.

Please book in advance as places can be limited. Directions will be sent out on booking.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Forestry Weekends

18-20 January 2019 - Tree felling. Fully booked
15-17 March 2019 - Tree felling. Fully booked

Coppicing Weekend - 1-2 December 2018

Fully booked

Come and help us with our annual coppicing weekend. Join a group of residents and volunteers coppicing hazel stools using hand tools and restoring neglected coppice, with lots of tea, cake and tasty food in between.

This is an opportunity to experience woodland management using saws, axes and billhooks.

These events are a great chance to come together as community in the winter months and learn woodland skills in a fossil fuel free environment.

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided.

Please book in advance as places can be limited. Directions will be sent out on booking.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Open Day - Saturday 29 September 2018

11am to 4pm

Steam powered saw mill demonstration: 11am - 1pm
Apple pressing with traditional Somerset press: 1pm - 4pm
Charcoal making demo and talk
Live music in the afternoon
Tours throughout the day
Kids' pony rides
Tea and delicious cakes on tap

Please keep all dogs on leads and if driving please park on Ham Hill and walk down. For directions, see Getting Here.

Forestry Weekends

12-15 January 2018 - Tree planting weekend - clearing ground, planting trees and protecting from deer - fully booked.
16-19 February 2018 - Tree felling - fully booked.
23-26 March 2018 - Tree felling - fully booked.

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided.

Please book in advance as places can be limited. Directions will be sent out on booking.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Coppicing Weekend - 24-26 November 2017

Sorry, fully booked.

This is an opportunity to experience woodland management using saws, axes and billhooks.

These events are a great chance to come together as community in the winter months and learn woodland skills in a fossil fuel free environment.

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided.

Please book in advance as places can be limited. Directions will be sent out on booking.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Open Day - Sunday 3rd September 2017

11am to 4pm

Steam powered saw mill demonstration: 11am - 1pm
Apple pressing with traditional Somerset press: 1pm - 4pm
Live music in the afternoon
Tours throughout the day
Kids' pony rides
Tea and delicious cakes on tap
Producers stall with our juice, basketry and other home made products

Please keep all dogs on leads and if driving please park on Ham Hill and walk down. For directions, see Getting Here.

Open Day - Saturday 1st October 2016

11am to 4pm

Come and join us for kids games and pony rides, working steam powered saw mill demonstration (11- 12am), tours, apple pressing, delicious tea, cakes and savoury snacks, bountiful raffle prize and live music. Please keep all dogs on leads and if driving please park on Ham Hill and walk down.

Coppicing Weekend - 25-27 November 2016

Fully booked

This is an opportunity to experience woodland management using saws, axes and billhooks.

These events are a great chance to come together as community in the winter months and learn woodland skills in a fossil fuel free environment.

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided.

Please book in advance as places can be limited. Directions will be sent out on booking.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Forestry Weekends

13-16 January 2017 - Fully booked
17-20 February 2017 - Sorry, cancelled
17-20 March 2017 - Fully booked

There is no charge - these are volunteer weekends. All meals are provided.

Please book in advance as places can be limited. Directions will be sent out on booking.

Contact tinkersbubble@riseup.net to book.

Open Day - Saturday 19th September 2015

Our annual open day.

Coppicing Weekend - 13-15 November 2015

Forestry Weekends

15-18 January 2016
19-22 February 2016
18-21 March 2016