Peter Higman resident of Cómpeta tells us about his hobby turned business.
Following 33 years in the Royal Air Force, Peter retired in 1996 and decided to learn woodturning.
'Woodturning was always something I'd wanted to do and having retired this gave me the ideal opportunity, as I now had some welcome, free time on my hands'.
Peter bought a cheap lathe and attended an intensive 2 day residential course at Craft Supplies Ltd in the Derbyshire Peak District and then practised and practised and practised! He then attended a more advanced course at Craft Supplies and bought a bigger, better (and more expensive) lathe. Over a number of years and after completing a couple of more specialist courses, Peter had the garage at his then Norfolk home extended to provide him with a workshop for his ever expanding and increasingly busy 'hobby'.
Never having had to advertise, Peter built up a good base of customers, mainly undertaking work on a commission basis. Known locally as 'Woody', people knew who to come to for gift ideas at Christmas and for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, etc. He was also in great demand in giving woodturning demonstrations to a wide variety of organisations in the local Norfolk area. His 'hobby' had now turned into something which progressively was taking over all of what was once his spare time.
Peter, with his wife Gill moved to Spain in August 2005 and lives in the Campo 10 minutes from Cómpeta just off the Torrox/Cómpeta road. 'Having spent a number of years plying my trade from the back of my garage' says Peter 'I now have a workshop surrounded by olive trees with stunning views of the beautiful Spanish countryside – what could be better?’
One of the problems Peter has encountered in Spain is the availability of wood. 'In England I had a number of suppliers and could get any kind of wood in all shapes and sizes from English oak, ash and beech to the more exotic woods from Australia, Africa and South America. Peter has purchased some of his wood from Cele Fernandez and has made some beautiful items from the local olive and eucalyptus wood. He is always on the lookout for any interesting pieces of wood as he tours the local countryside.
So what can he make? Basically, it depends on the size and shape of the wood but his range includes bowls, vases, mushrooms, platters, candlesticks, bottle stops – you name it, he can make it (depending on the availability of the wood!).
Anyone interested can view some of Peter's work at Sugar and Spice in Cómpeta. Peter also welcomes commissions and can provide demonstrations to local organisations, clubs etc. He can be contacted either through Sugar and Spice or via email at petegillh@yahoo.co.uk
