I started making willow baskets about thirteen years ago after doing a one day course. It was a bit of an epiphany. I knew it was for me. I trained for one day each week for five years right in the middle of London. There’s been no turning back.

My connection with Sacred Earth began when in 2011 it was suggested that I could grow my willow there. Five years on, I grow about 20 stunning types of willow and spend the best part of a month each year harvesting, sorting and tending to the osier bed. I harvest the willow in January and February and am always joined by an amazing group of friends who come and help. The process of working quietly in the field together, sharing cups of tea and lunch in the darkest depths of winter is incredibly uplifting. We don’t work long hours as the days are short and the work is relatively hard going, but it is so joyful. Each spring after the willow has been cut it still amazes me that it grows back with an astounding force. The first buds that push through almost glow.

I’ve been inspired by makers like Owen Jones who harvest oak and makes beautiful oak swill baskets in Cumbria. I’m committed to seeing the basketmaking process through from the source to the finished piece. Growing my willow at Sacred Earth makes me feels connected and in touch with the material.

My work varies from small scale domestic baskets to large scale architectural installations. I’m making baskets, trays, brushes and sculptures which are sold all over the world. My work allows me to travel quite a lot for collaborative projects and teaching. It makes me realise there are people who share my values in so many places. We’re not an isolated phenomenon at Sacred Earth. My work is often quite solitary and I think outside of this I am really drawn to working with a community like Sacred Earth, with a group of like minded people who have a clear and strong vision for the future.

I feel like this land has a story to tell. The site once was a busy brickworks, and the debris is to be seen in several areas on site. I am interested in the clay that gives life to my willow, the clay that was once dug to make bricks and tiles on this site. In a quest to work more with this clay I invited ceramicist Elaine Bolt to work on a collaboration with me at Sacred Earth. Our Arts Council funded project Making Ground runs from January 2016 – January 2017. It has given us the chance to experiment with the willow and clay from the land and to combine our crafts in unusual ways. It has also given me the opportunity to spend more time on the site, exploring and sampling what it has to offer. Watch this space, there’s plenty more to come.