Top axeman from Denbigh hoping to set new Welsh record

Osian Williams, of Denbigh, will be timed over three consecutive tasks at a display by the Clwyd Axemen at the Welsh Game Fair which will be held at the Faenol Estate, near Bangor, on the weekend of September 9 and 10.

Osian, a member of the Clwyd Axemen display team, is in training for the rarely performed Iron Man, a timed attempt at the under-hand, the standing block and finally the jigger board climb.

For the under-hand he will have to stand on a log while swinging his razor-sharp axe to chop it in two, switch to the standing block which simulates felling a tree and finally tackle the jigger board climb, cutting two wedges into a three-metre trunk of wood to place boards in to climb up to chop the block off the top.

Clwyd Axemen leader Alun Jones, of Llannefydd, who helped found the group 15 years ago, said: “It’s a spectacular feat and it’s rarely performed because it’s so difficult.

“Physically it’s the axeman’s marathon and it’s combination of strength and skill, technique and power and it’s very spectacular but very tough which is why its so rarely done.

“We’re going to put the stopwatch on Osian and enter it as a Welsh record – it will be a mark for others to have a go at but no-one will find it easy.”

The Clwyd Axemen were formed 15 years ago as a splinter group from the Gwynedd Axemen and now have over 10 regular members – including a couple of Axewomen - who perform displays of lumberjack skills at shows the length of the country.

The Clwyd Axemen, from left, front, Dewi Pugh, Osian Williams, Mike Hanlon, Ben Jones, Jon Bond and Alun Jones. (Image: Mandy Jones Photography)

This year they have been to the Scottish Game Fair at Scone Palace and are just back from a display at a show in Guernsey and by the end of the year they will have given 15 demonstrations of their abilities.

Alun added: “I’ve been involved in the timber business most of my life and it really started for us as a way of keeping alive the traditional skills of the trade and presenting them in an entertaining and informative way.

“It is a real big deal down in Australia and New Zealand where the real money is and where traditionally it has long been a stronghold – one of our Axemen, Simon Bond, from St Asaph, whose dad, Jon, is a member of our team, has just been chosen for New Zealand against Australia.

“Elgan Pugh, of Bala, is a former British champion axeman and his brother, Dewi, and Osian took third in the two-man saw at the Royal Welsh Show so we’ve got some of the best in the business on the team.

“Technique is the key. It’s all about making the axe work for you and these axes are so sharp you could shave with them.”

The Clwyd Axemen prepare carefully, using mainly poplar and sweet chestnut and carefully wrapping the logs to preserve the moisture in the wood so it cuts more easily.

During the show season they will get through between 25 and 30 tons of timber at their displays all of which they have to transport with them to the venues .

Their newest recruit is Mike Hanlon, a 26-year-old from Rufford, near Tarleton in West Lancashire, who divides his time between working as a structural engineer and running a smallholding.

He said: “I’ve been splitting wood on the farm and it’s fun swinging an axe so I wanted to give it a go and it gets me into the agricultural shows to have a look at the stock.

“It will be nice to be competing alongside the other axemen. I’m not at that level yet but hopefully I’ll be there next year.”

The displays by the Clwyd Axemen are part of a mouth-watering programme of activities over two days at the famous estate above the Menai Straits which hosted the Royal Family for the Investiture of King Charles as Prince of Wales at nearby Caernarfon in 1969.

At the heart of the show is the main arena which will stage a rolling programme of events and demonstrations by the likes of wildfowler Chris Green, the Cornish Countryman, and teams of spaniels and retrievers battling it out in the Four Nations International.

Angling is well represented and compered by world champion Hywel Morgan, son of the legendary Moc Morgan, and an internationally recognised expert in his own right who will also be hosting the UK Casting Championships.

Well-known TV farmer Gareth Wyn Jones is hosting an on-site pop-up restaurant, Cwtch Kitchen, which will serve up seasonal dishes including grey squirrel burgers while the countryside issues of the day will be addressed in the Countryside Conversations Theatre.

There’s also the chance to get hands-on at a range of rural activities including archery, fishing, airgun shooting, clay shooting and gundog handling and learn how to survive in the wild with bushcraft master Huw Jones of Ynys Twca.

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The event is also an important fund-raiser for countryside charity the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust – a 92-year-old charity that conducts vital research into Wales’s most vulnerable species and a major retail event with 150 stands including major clothing and equipment brands alongside small independent retailers and artisans.

James Gower, chief executive of Stable Events which organises the Welsh Game Fair, alongside The Game Fair and the Scottish Game Fair, said: “Our aim is to celebrate everything that is best about the countryside and rural pursuits, including the wider benefits of conservation and field sports.

“We’ll have gundogs, clay shooting, archery, fishing, food and falconry - not to mention the amazing shopping at the wide range of stalls.

“Over the two days we have a jam-packed itinerary of displays, demonstrations,  have-a-go attractions and exhibitors.

“The pop up restaurant will provide a real showcase for the finest fare the countryside has to offer.”

The event is open each day from 9am to 5.30pm with free parking and children under eight admitted free.

Visit www.welshgamefair.org