Ten wood sculptors are honing their skills in preparation for this year’s Sculptree event at Westonbirt Arboretum, the National Arboretum near Tetbury, Gloucestershire.
Now in its 10th year, the event is the forerunner to the annual Festival of Wood – one of the biggest festivals of its type in the UK.
On August 19 huge tree trunks will be hauled into place at the arboretum and the carvers will spend the week creating their sculptures.
These will be auctioned off on the Bank Holiday Monday, August 26. Last year the carvings were sold for between a couple of hundred pounds and almost £5,000 and the proceeds were split between the carvers and the charity Tree Aid which carries out community forest projects in Africa.
The event, which is sponsored by Tilhill Economic Forestry Ltd, has raised more than £75,000 over the last decade.
