Bowyer Bushcraft
Where did it all start?
Jamie has always had a keen interest in the outdoors and outdoor living. From a young age as a child, together with his Mother, Step-Father and little brother he enjoyed 17th Century Civil War re-enactment and living history. As a family they were part of the sutlery team, feeding the regiment and the separate Officers table. Food was cooked using an outside fire pit, with cauldrons hung on rustic tripods, and using modern reproductions of authentic ceramics and fire tools. He was introduced to cutting tools, building and safely staunching fires, collecting wood, then drying and splitting it for fire use. This proved to be a fertile training ground to also explore old historical crafts which provided him with transferable skills in relation to being both a Bowyer and Bushcraft instructor.
Moving on to his teenage years he attended an all boys boarding school that was surrounded by woodland and had the free flowing river wharf running next to it. In this period jamie attended on-campus bushcraft lessons in his personal recreation time, falling in love with the subject, Jamie promptly channeled his pre-existing skills and crafts into his new all encompassing pursuit. It was not long before bushcraft instructor Mike and Jamie formed an easy tutor/pupil relationship and he began to help run courses as a junior assistant at Mikes Bushtruck company in the Yorkshire Dales. Thus cementing a sound foundation for his future career as a Bushcraft instructor himself.
After leaving his Yorkshire school, Jamie was eager to learn more, so enrolled and attended at Plumpton College in West Sussex. At 17 years old he was too young to attend the Plumpton College course, however Jamie persuaded his soon to be course tutor to allow him to be chaperoned by his Mother until he reached the the required course age of 18, thus becoming the youngest person at that time to complete their Advanced bushcraft leadership program in 2007.
These early years had a huge impact on Jamie, as he was learning new skills in the College woods, then returning to work for Mike at Bushtruck his new skills were put straight into practice. These valuable experiences have sculpted his life over the preceding years and have set him on the path to were he has reached today, instructing Bushcraft/bow-making, thus enabling him to continually broaden and widen and pursue his knowledge of his beloved craft.
