Axe Skills, A Workshop for Women with Kathleen Sinclair
Improve your axe and forest school skills in this workshop for women by Kathleen at Circle of Life Rediscovery, Mill Woods, East Sussex. Being able to split wood well not only is an incredibly useful skill to process your own craft materials but it also is great fun, immensely satisfactory and makes you feel like you can do anything!
The aim of this workshop is to learn and practise a few simple techniques to split different kinds of wood safely and confidently using an axe but we will also be looking at alternative methods that might come in handy when teaching the younger ones and working together in teams.
You will walk away proud with a skill you can take home to use in every day life and pass on to others. Every successfully split piece of wood feels like a good achievement and that feeling never gets old.
In this workshop, Kathleen will help you build confidence with axes and billhooks so that you feel safe, capable, and empowered. Using these tools isn’t just about skill — for women, it can be a powerful way to reconnect with strength, trust, and resourcefulness. For those facilitating in woodland settings, the session will also cover how to instruct others in safe and effective tool use. Let’s empower the next generation — and keep these ancient skills alive.
We need you to bring your own forest axe with a medium length (roughly 50cm) handle which is a good allrounder and safest to work with or and a Bill Hook! We recommend knee pads too, if you want to be comfortable and stay dry on wet ground. Outdoor friendly clothes and shoes including water proofs in case of rain.
Aims for this Axe Skills workshop:
- To learn how to split wood (rounds, kindling, logs) safely and confidently.
- To understand good practise, posture, distance, focus and limits.
- To be able to teach safe, simple and effective methods to others.
- To facilitate a safe and friendly environment for women to learn from one another.
- To learn how to split wood using a bill hook!
What to bring:
- Your own forest axe with a medium length (roughly 50cm) handle and/ or a bill hook.
- Knee pads if you have them.
- Clothing and footwear suitable for the outdoors and all weather.
- Snacks and a packed lunch and drinking water.
Who facilitates Axe Skills workshop?
Kathleen is a Forest School leader, bushcraft instructor, and co-founder of Wilderdays — an organisation rooted in the belief that spending more time in nature benefits our physical, mental, and emotional health.
With over a decade of experience working with children and adults in woodland settings, she’s known for her warm, calm, and grounded approach that gently encourages people out of their comfort zones.
Next available dates
Date: Saturday 12th July 2025
Please note places are limited, this workshop is aimed at women only. Sorry, no dogs or children are allowed.
Time: 10am – 1.00pm
Cost: £55.00
Location: Our woodland site, off Park Lane, near Laughton, East Sussex, BN8 6BP