Red List Comment Submission

Commenting on: Swill basket making

Section one - About you

Section two - Description of the craft

If you are commenting on an existing craft, please select it here and skip the next two questions

Please enter the name of the craft you would like us to add here.

If this is a new craft type please select the most suitable category

Please identify country, region, county or town

Please identify country, region, county or town

Please identify an era/century/approximate historic period.

Heritage Crafts uses a system of four categories of risk to assess the viability of heritage crafts. A heritage craft is considered to be viable if there are sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation. For more information on definitions see http://heritagecrafts.org.uk/redlist/categories-of-risk/

Section three - Current numbers of those practising the craft in the UK

People earning their main craft income from this craft (selling, commissions, conservation/ restoration and/or teaching).

People practicing this craft commercially (selling, commissions, conservation/restoration and/or teaching) but as less than half of their income.

People acquiring skills in order to become a professional in this craft, they probably have to work under supervision even if they are earning money while training.

People whose knowledge and ability is at a level of the most skilled practitioners of this craft.

People who do not intend to practice this craft professionally or at the highest level.

Section four - Issues affecting the viability of the craft

Existing content:
  • The import of cheap baskets puts an unrealistic expectation of cost into the general public’s minds. There is a need to educate customers on the process of making a swill, the durability of the product, the continuation of the tradition and the enormous benefits to the biodiversity of our woodlands. They are not simply buying a basket. Although they might seem expensive, a basket could last for generations.
  • Increasingly swills are bought via mail order or through retailers and the extra admin time involved increases the cost again. There is a market for swills but it involves expertise in social media, marketing, administration etc as well as the craft itself.
  • Swill  basket making involves so many different processes so potential swillers must be able to and want to find and manage the woodlands, fell trees, extract them, process the wood, weave baskets , sell  them – its a big mix of skills involved and a lot to fit into a working week.
  • Swill making is hard to categorise. The skills aren’t solely of basketry as it involves a lot of wood working. Parts of the process are greenwood working skills and techniques.
  • Woodland owners often don’t see the need to manage their woodlands and might expect renumeration for it. Grant schemes, for example the Woodland Improvement Grant and Stewardship schemes, are directed at larger scale forestry operations so to keep swill woodland coppiced either involves coppicing lots more than is needed for the business – resulting in wasting good swill material and spending too much time finding a market for the bi-products – or working for free and having to fund deer fencing etc which puts up material costs.
  • Bio-security – tree diseases are becoming more and more prevalent, usually due to the import of plants and slack bio-security at the borders.  Many native species are now seriously endangered by disease and there are a few threatening oak.
  • Lack of affordable housing and workshop premises in the vicinity of the woodland. Lots of barns and suitable buildings are being converted to housing and new building are unaffordable.

e.g. lack of qualifications, funding for training etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. lack of demand for products/skills etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

Tick the box if there are difficulties with the supply of raw materials, allied materials or tools

If yes, please describe the issues below

i.e. issues around running any small business, not just crafts

If yes, please describe the issues below

Is the main workforce made up of people who are approaching retirement age?

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. legal restrictions on materials, health and safety etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. Brexit, Covid-19, conflict

If yes, please describe the issues below

Please describe any other issues

Section five - Current Initiatives to preserve craft skills

Please describe any UK projects or schemes

Section six - Main players in the craft – please tell us who you know about

Please list any known practitioners of this craft — add a row item for each person or business and complete the fields to the best of your knowledge. To get started click the `Add practitioner` button below.

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Section seven - Optional additional information

It may include when and where the craft developed, how it has changed over time, etc.

e.g. festivals, religious celebrations, agricultural practices, music, dance etc.

e.g. religious, ethnic, social class. Please give an overview of the techniques involved in the craft.

This may involve different materials, techniques, styles or finished products.

e.g. books, websites etc.