Aaron Ross is an apprentice at the Fife’s Our Bright Future project in East Scotland. He is working on a Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship in Trees and Timber. This is Aaron’s first blog that his Programme Coordinator sent to us. Thanks Aaron!
At 9am on Wednesday 6 September we set out on our journey to Bussage, which is in Gloucestershire in England. We stayed in a beautiful holiday accommodation called Glen Cottage for two nights so we could attend the Confor Woodland Show at Longleat Estate in Wiltshire the next day.
We arrived after the eight-hour car journey and got settled in to our rooms and explored the sights around the small cottage.
Another early rise awaited us so we could get to the show for 9am. The weather was temperamental but the sun did make an appearance!
The forestry show consisted of a vast number of stands, which held forestry meetings and conferences as well as companies advertising new products as well as other information within the rural sector.
The show also had various forestry shops that were selling new equipment, such as chainsaws and climbing gear.
Throughout the showground there were different machines such as forwarders, tractors, skidders, telehandlers and MEWPS (cherry pickers). As we walked around the site there were various demonstrations of wood processing with new equipment as well as Husqvarna and Stihl chainsaw competitions which included skill testing, felling, snedding and cross cutting.
The showground was split into two sections, one being the area for marketing and displaying new equipment and the other section being the demonstration area in the woodland which was showing things like the forwarders in use and chainsaw carving.
As we walked around the show and admired all the brand new and amazing machinery and spoke with all the companies, we began to realise just how big the forestry sector is. We even joined up as members of the Royal Forestry Society!
Overall the time and experience we had during the three days was great and it has given us a better perspective on the whole forestry sector of work. I would recommend to anyone that works in the rural/outdoors sector to go if you get the chance. I really enjoyed myself and will hopefully make it again next year.
Aaron Ross is an apprentice at the Fife’s Our Bright Future project in East Scotland. He is working on a Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship in Trees and Timber. This is Aaron’s first blog that his Programme Coordinator sent to us. Thanks Aaron! 
