The 2022 North of England Woodworking & Power Tool Show

TheHoards of excited woodworkers attended the eagerly-awaited 'Harrogate' show

A big thank you to everyone who attended the 28th North of England Woodworking & Power Tool Show – otherwise known as the 'Harrogate' show – from 11–13 November 2022.

Returning to the Yorkshire Event Centre following a two-year break, show organisers and exhibitors were thrilled to welcome so many visitors across the three days. As usual, there was a great mix of hobbyist woodworkers and woodturners as well as small business owners. Over the entire weekend, around 8,500 visitors were recorded, all looking forward to attending the country's longest established, highest attended retail woodworking event.

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Emma Cook – 'The Tiny Turner' showed off her skills to captivated crowds

Proudly showing itself to still carry the mantle of being the UK's finest woodworking event, woodworkers from all over the country and further afield came out in droves to see a wide variety of demonstrations, check out the latest kit and tools, visit the many trade stands, as well as meet like-minded people. At various points over the weekend, the hall corridors were filled along their length and breadth such was the desire to get amongst the hustle and bustle and sample all that was on offer.

Many new exhibitors were in attendance this year including Felder Group UK Ltd, Rubio Monocoat UK, Shenton Woodcraft, House of Resin and Metal Clay Ltd to name but a few. Of course, all the leading industry names could also be found including Axminster Tools, Classic Hand Tools, Robert Sorby, Turners Retreat, Record Power, among a plethora of others.

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Magazine author and production turner Les Thorne drew in the crowds

Exhibitors were incredibly pleased to discover a healthy appetite for their products and industry know-how, and many a visitor could be seen leaving with armfuls of woodworking goodies, various items of machinery, not to mention a huge range of timber blanks in all manner of shapes and sizes.

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The Turners Retreat stand was awash with attendees over the show's three days

Matthew Applegarth, Chief Executive of Felder Group UK Ltd, commented on how the show was "a great success" for the company and its range of Hammer machinery, and how "visitor numbers were very high." He continues: "Not only did we sell a good number of machines directly, but were also really pleased to meet and talk to many serious machine investors in both the hobby and small business sector. The entire show was well organised and we're already looking forward to 2023."

The Robert Sorby and Turners Retreat team were also very excited to be back in Harrogate for the 27th North of England Woodworking & Power Tool Show, as Marketing Manager Joanne Dyson said: "It was great to see so many familiar faces, fellow exhibitors, demonstrators, and lots of new young faces too! The show was a huge success, with lots of interest in our new demonstration areas and customers eager to have a go. We're now all looking forward to the Midlands Woodworking Show in Newark from 10–11 March 2023."

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Radha Siyver puts the Arbortech through its paces

Undoubtedly, among the readers who visited the magazine stand and talked directly to us, a great many spoke of their local Men's Shed and how much of an influence the group had made to their individual woodworking journey. It was fantastic to see so many people's faces light up when asked how they discovered woodworking and also to see photos of projects made in the workshop.

As usual, the show also boasted a fantastic range of demonstrators and 'hands-on' stands, with hoards of people crowded round to see live demos across a variety of disciplines including, most popularly, woodturning. Leading names included Emma Cook – 'The Tiny Turner; Les Thorne; Margaret Garrard; Pat Carroll; Philip Greenwood; Simon Hope; Chris Fisher – The Blind Woodturner; Darren Breeze and Mick Hanbury. There was also pyrography from Bob Neill, Tic Challis and Kez Halliday, and Windsor chairmaking with Steve Langton and Peter Tree. Arbortech was represented by Radha Siyver – bespoke furniture maker & Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker contestant; with Pontus Gyllby flying the flag for Tormek, Ryan Saunders for Veritas and Simon Clements with Flexcut. Shane Skelton of Skelton Saws also gave an insight into sawmaking and the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) spoke on techniques including steam-bending.

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There was much excitement and smiling faces on Axminster Tools' stand

We were thrilled to see lots of familiar faces, meet so many readers, and hear such positive words and praise regarding the magazine. Many new subscribers were enlisted and some people even visited the show on all three days – now that's what we call dedication!

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Margaret Gerrard demonstrates piercing techniques

Many commented on how they felt the show represented fantastic value in terms of ticket price, with lots of you making a day, and even a weekend of it, visiting in groups and ensuring to see as many demonstrators/trade stands as possible.

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Brian Walsh demonstrating the wonders of Japanese saws

Overall, the 2022 'Harrogate' show was an enormous success, visitor numbers were incredibly healthy, there was a definite desire to get back out there and attend such an event, and everyone involved worked together to ensure everything ran smoothly and was well organised.

Thank you again to all the visitors who attended this year's event and we look forward to welcoming you back next year, with a 2023 offering that's bigger and better than ever!

Dates for next year's show
The dates for the 2023 event have now been announced: 10–12 November 2023. Further information regarding exhibitors, demonstrators and advance tickets will be made available soon. In the meantime, visit the dedicated show website for further information.

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