Feedback and Comments

If you have attended one of my willow weaving courses or workshops and would like to leave a comment for my feedback page, then feel free to contact me.

Recent feedback

Tina and Tanya

Thank you again for our basket making day yesterday. We enjoyed it so much and it was such a pleasure to meet you and chat, especially with the beautiful weather. And of course to meet Eric and your lovely dog! Our baskets have been admired already, and we look forward to coming back later in the year for wreaths and other festive things. Very best wishes, Tina and Tanya.

Charlie

Thank you so much for a wonderful morning, and all of us had an amazing and truly therapeutic time. I personally love making, but I was totally blown away by basket weaving and felt so at one with the willow, and I think we will all see you again soon.

David

That was fab! Thank you for a memorable day: lovely company, great teaching, and two wonderful baskets. Perfect.

Cath

I just wanted to say thanks for welcoming us into your home and what a fabulous day we had yesterday. We are all very proud of our baskets even if they looked like they might not turn out well in the process! It was a really fun day.

Leigh and Joy

We both wanted to thank you for a lovely day last Thursday. The practical weaving was absorbing but your fun tuition and easy going nature absolutely made our day. We will recommend you and your workshop to anyone who will listen. Thank you again for your time.

Jenny

My friend and I spent a day with Norah weaving willow piglets and absolutely loved it. Norah was so welcoming and friendly, it was like chatting to an old friend! We worked in a lovely room surrounded by Norah's handiwork and she kept us well supplied with tea and snacks. Norah was an excellent and patient teacher, and my friend and I both managed to create recognisable piglets that we are proud of! It was a thoroughly enjoyable day of friendship and creativity with the bonus of bringing Peggy the piglet home with me.

Willow workshop was amazing. Throughly enjoyed learning new skills and I came away with some lovely makes. The size of the group was just right as you could have 1-1 time with a very knowledgeable Norah. Norah was very happy to share her knowledge and was very approachable.

My sister and I attended a hugely enjoyable Willow Workshop with Norah Kennedy on 20th November 2023. It was fabulous, we both had a very creative and productive morning and made some super Christmas decorations. A great opportunity to learn new skills and really got us in the Christmas mood. Norah was very knowledgeable and hugely encouraging all of us achieved great things!

Angela

Thank you so much for the fabulous course on Thursday and the extra willow. I gave mum her basket today but forgot get a photo! She was thrilled and couldn't believe that I made it.

Tina

Thank you so much for a fabulous session yesterday at Weven in Stroud. My trug turned out far better than I expected, most certainly due to your patient and expert tuition.
I look forward to joining you for another course before too long.

Helen

I just wanted to thank you you for the excellent willow weaving workshops last week. Everyone really enjoyed it and we have had lots of positive feedback.
Just off to the garden centre to get some sweet pea seeds to grow up my wigwam !

Helen

Just to say thanks for your expertise in making a basket and listening yesterday.

Margie

We all so loved every moment of our workshop with you today. I would love to do more when I have a bit more free time.

Antonia

It was such a joy to spend time learning your incredible skills. You were so kind and patient – a brilliant teacher. My heart was filled up with happiness that day.

Alison, Charley and Louise

Thank you again so much for a really lovely day. We enjoyed making our baskets and we have already ordered a rapping iron and a book.

Felicity & Andy

Thank you for a great day. We learnt so much and it was a joy to spend time in your workshop creating something from scratch. We really appreciated your insights, stories and excellent instruction. Neither of us had ever worked with willow or made anything like this and when we left we had two baskets which we are pleased and proud of. Thank you!

A happy customer

Norah it was wonderful to see you at work. You are so good at it - seamlessly leading us from a little pile of delightful tools and 4 pieces of willow, on a journey to a complete and perfect basket. I hadn't anticipated that I would discover what an extraordinary plant it is. All the history and language is beautiful and appealing, and you are consistently calming. I know you have been doing it for years but I fully appreciate the years of thought and care you must have put into your teaching work to make it work for everyone.
Thanks Pal!

Gwyn

Thank you very much - brilliant workshop - learned so much - didn't realise how hard or rewarding willow weaving was. Already used the 'platter' for cheese and biscuits - went down a storm. And we have a record of all our efforts - thank you again.

Sue

Thank you, Norah, for another memorable w/e. Despite the gnashing and wailing!! As you said, they are a nice group of people and Sunday's weather certainly added to the general feeling of wellbeing. And you manage to glide serenely through, and help us create our own unique work. We all thank you for that.

Carol

I had a fabulous few days at Denman and the course far exceeded my expectations in terms of what I could accomplish. The willow spent the weekend in the waterbutt and I finished it on Monday. Already it has a lot of admirers from my WI friends and I am sure a few more will be booking on your courses. You are an amazing teacher and certainly inspiring in your passion for willow creations.

Dyllis

Thank you Jan for arranging another fantastic course. Norah is a super tutor, she calmly worked with each of us teaching the different techniques. We were an enthusiastic bunch and were quite surprised and thrilled that we were able to achieve so much. We're looking forward to showing off our decorations at our November meeting.

Jane

Norah's instructions were so clear and effective, we beginners had no trouble keeping up - she managed to make a complicated process easy to follow and understand. The course was fantastic and the tuition top notch.

Belinda

The weekend spent with you and the other lovely ladies was such a pleasure - thank you so much for all your patience, understanding and wonderful teaching.

Margaret

Thank you very much for giving us such a fascinating and memorable evening. We were all enthralled to hear of the immensely long history of weaving, the incredible variety of materials and techniques, the multiple uses and to observe your skill with the willow which you clearly love. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and stimulating evening. With very best wishes from all our members and visitors Margaret.

Hellie

Thank you for such a great day yesterday at the Dorset Wildlife Centre on our Willow Weaving course. What a wonderful day - we didnt want it to end! I never knew we would come home with such an array lovely items, hand made by ourselves (with helpful and friendly guidance from you). I have now displayed my own items in my garden as a reminder of a lovely day spent. Thoroughly recommended!

Elizabeth

Thanks so much for a lovely day at Pershore yesterday. The two willow plant wigwams are already pride of place in my garden and as suspected my cat Sean has taken ownership of the "decorative" sphere! Thanks again, I really enjoyed myself and have some very beautiful but practical results from my efforts.

Anita

I just wanted to thank you so much for putting on the Willow Weaving Course yesterday morning, I can't begin to express how enjoyable it was, I am sure everyone who attended would have felt the same. Nora is a brilliant - inspiring and helpful to say nothing of patient teaching instructor. Many thanks again I would certainly like to attend should there be another class in the future.

Moira

Just a quick note to thank you for a fun day, inspiration, enthusiasm and expert tuition on Friday. Everybody loves the piglet that I made! He has settled for now on the kitchen table... I can see him being there for a while! Thoroughly enjoyed that day, and now I want to do more willow work!

Wendy

Dear Nora, I was on the Seasonal Willow Workshop in December with my mother and we had such a fantastic day. Thank you for your enthusiasm and lovely manner which encouraged and inspired us all.

Susan

Each person was working on a different sculpture and you gave excellent and clear advice to each person as to how they could improve. Your encouraging manner gave them the confidence to attempt much larger items than they would normally. The results were of a very high standard and learners were rightly proud of what they had achieved.

Stella

Thank you so much again for your super course which Mum and I enjoyed hugely. Your open and encouraging approach was perfect for fostering our creativity!

Esme

I just wanted to send a note to thank you the super Willow Work course at Denman last week. I was so pleased to be able to join it as I have always wanted to try my hand at willow work and it was a delight to be tutored by such an inspirational lady. I certainly enjoyed every moment and it was great to unleash a little creativity.

Jane

Thank you very much for a fab course today. It far exceeded my expectations.

Hazel

I just wanted to thank you, Norah, for the basket making day course yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and was totally amazed at what I produced. You really are the most excellent teacher. It was lovely to have someone explain and encourage in such a quiet and inclusive manner and to actually finish a product.

I shall try to attempt something with the willow my daughter has here but fear I will not remember all the processes. I find I am looking at all the baskets I have in the house and thinking, oh that's how it's done!

Lynda

You really inspired me on our workshop day and I feel I have some basic skills - all thanks to your attentive tuition.

Sheila

Just had to write to say how much we all enjoyed our day today. You have really inspired us and we appreciated your patience and encouragement. Thank you so much. Do hope we have the opportunity of meeting you again some day.

Hazel

I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your style of teaching and your patience and warmth. It was just lovely the way that you managed to make us all feel like achievers whatever our level of experience or ability to grasp simple instructions.

Jack

Just a few lines to say how very much I enjoyed the weekend (in case you hadn't noticed !!). It was such a pleasure to meet you and to develop my love of baskets themselves into a greater understanding of the actual construction process. I feel I have embarked upon an exciting journey, and thanks to your patience and generosity in sharing your experience I really am not too scared to 'try this at home'.....

Gillian

Thank you so much once again for such an enjoyable weekend. It was amazing to see what we were all able to create and you are such a wonderfully warm and supportive teacher. I really think I am hooked and would love to do another course as soon as I can get some more time off!! I will look forward to recieving the list whenever you have time to send it over.

Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you again very soon.

Emma

Hi Norah, We met this weekend at your Willow Creatures course. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the course and really appreciated how you enabled us all to get the most out of the time we spent with you and the materials you provided. I learnt so many new skills and was able to take advantage of a real opportunity to 'do', away from my usual hectic-ness. My little car looked quite a sight on the way home!

So, thank you very much and I wonder if you could email through details of your other courses coming up as I'm keen to continue with this journey ...

Marlene

Just a note to say thank you so much for a wonderful evening. We all went home with wreaths and stars feeling so pleased with ourselves and our creations. A real 'feel good' evening.

Carole

A thoroughly enjoyable course - excellent pace, met everyone's needs. Relaxing, yet allowing us to leave with a real sense of achievement.

Jilly

I loved the willow evening and found it very informative even having missed half of it. Norah was a delightful teacher, very approachable, knowledgeable and clear in her guidance.

Claire

Thank you so much for such an inspiring and enjoyable day last week � for your amazing skills, your calm encouragement and gentle guidance that all together made us make such lovely stuff.

Marie-Noelle

Thank you very, very much for a fab day today. You are a great tutor and we all commented on how much we enjoyed the day.

Sheila

Very many thanks for another super Saturday class. They were all most appreciative. Hope to see you again before too long.

Sophie

Just collecting the info from the course evaluation sheets I did for your course, and as per usual, they said you were wonderful! So thank you very much for being so wonderful and getting people back to Kingcombe time after time. Glad to see we have you booked in for next year too!

Jane

I just want to thank you for a lovely day at Kingcombe and your willow sculpture workshop, it was a very stress free day and I became totally absorbed in what I was doing. It came at just the right time for me and I hope to carry on in some way using some of the ideas and skills you showed us.

Rachel

Just a quick e-mail to thank you for a wonderful day Judy and I really enjoyed it. You have been a real Inspiration to me... I am looking at dedicating the rest of my life towards working with willow. After attending your course I feel that with a little work this is definitely for me... with your help and experience I am on the right tracks to pursue my dream of becoming a willow worker. I have always held a passion for the traditional craft and I am passionate about working with nature, I am wanting to improve my knowledge and skills.

Debbie

Thank you so much for everything Norah, the photos, your great good humour and patience over the weekend, and your excellent teaching. I hope we can make it an annual event!

Jonathan and Liz

Many thanks for another enjoyable day working with willow. It was lovely to introduce Inga to the joys of weaving. Your inclusive and relaxed manner make the whole process so rewarding. Liz has already had a go at making another flower and I'm planning on making a willow mouse with a long tail as a toy for our cat!

Carol

Thank you very much for a wonderful weekend! It was all that I had hoped for and much, much more.
Very best wishes, Carol
Dr Carol A. Gartrell, Chairman, Surrey Federation WI

Jackie

Thank you so much – we had such a lovely day, your teaching was excellent, we all learned so much and really enjoyed every minute.

Clare

And most of all, thank you for the perfectly pitched guidance, encouragement and tuition.

Sue

Thank you so much for the wonderful willow making yesterday in Stroud.
I was amazed at how much we learnt during the day and am really pleased with my first ever basket, which has received compliments at home. You were a patient and clear teacher of beginners and the day was a real joy.
How lovely to learn an age old skill and a lot of new vocabulary and come home with a practical and beautiful object!
I would certainly be interested in any further courses you run during the year.

 

 

 

 

 

Norah Kennedy, Willow Worker
web design by Cloth and Clay, banner photographs by Kerri Given