A GROUP of carvers from throughout the region has brought a touch of Christmas magic to a County Durham school.

They presented High Coniscliffe CE Primary School with a lasting nativity scene, which will be handled and enjoyed by generations of young children.

The gift was the idea of Keith Hardisty from Richmond, who is treasurer of the Durham and North Yorkshire region branch of the British Woodcarvers' Association.

The figures were made by experts and novices.

Thanks to its chairman, Dave Shires, who is school caretaker, it has been allowed to make the hall the equivalent of its clubhouse.

The club has been a success story since it held its inaugural meeting there in October, 2000, and it now has 46 members - at least 25 of them going along weekly for the enjoyment of meeting fellow enthusiasts.

They are also delighted that they have attracted nearly a dozen women because David Muckle, the tutor, admits that carving is predominately a male activity.

Age - at either end of the scale - is no barrier to enjoying carving and Irene Lewis of Darlington is living proof of that.

She will be 80 on her next birthday and has just started on her third piece of work, a seal.

"She is very, very good and that is despite having some rheumatism in her hands," said Mr Muckle. "Women do have creative talent in the same way that they are good at sewing and baking.

"A lot of them try woodwork after becoming involved in DIY. They get the feel for the wood and come to appreciate that it is a very tactile material."

A former policeman, he took up carving as a therapy some years ago. "It is nice to be able to pass on your skills and instil enthusiasm and confidence in a lot of new people.

"I get a lot of pleasure out of that. It is very rewarding and it is amazing how quickly people can produce their first piece of work."

It is quite a trek for many of the members. Pat Walsh, who took a couple of adult education courses first, travels from Stockton and Pam Brown and Susan Fielden live in Middleton in Teesdale.

"Susan has a bookshop and I went in to ask about woodcarving books and she ended up coming along with me," said Pam.

Her friend added: "It is something I have always wanted to do. A bit different from painting, computing and knitting and now I am ordering more carving books than ever."

Alan Suddes is one of the two founder members, along with Mr Shires. He said: "A lot of people have a go at home and give up because they encounter difficulties, usually because they have been using blunt tools.

"I spend a lot of time here sharpening tools for people and it is amazing then what complete novices can achieve in quite a short time."

Mr Shires has been working with Ian Wardle on a trial piece, which they hope could end up being a feature at Thorp Perrow falconry centre. "There is an old ash tree there, about 10ft tall, and Sir John Ropner is hoping to make a sculpture out of it.

"We would like to make two full-sized, interlinked figures, one holding a hawk ready for flight. We are practising on a piece of birch, trying to find out where problems may lie."

He went on: "I remember being at a school review meeting here when someone said we should strengthen our links with the community.

"Well, our carving community stretches from Hartlepool to Whitburn in the north, down to Ripon in the south and Middleton in the west.

"We also have a more remote member - in the USA.

"He saw an article about us in one of the woodcarving magazines and the upshot was a regular exchange of correspondence with David Muckle. Basically he wanted to be a member of the club.

"I now have regular contact with the American region of the BWA and there is an open invitation to any of them to drop in if they come over here on holiday."

He is astonished at the speed at which the club has grown.

"I remember thinking if we get six people together we can form a club. On the first night we got 15. At some stage we are going to reach saturation point and we will have to set up a waiting list."

The club meets on Tuesdays at 7pm at High Coniscliffe School and anyone wanting more information can contact Mr Shires on 374686.