There are perhaps grander trees than willows and certainly many others with superior timber. But with willows you get a bit of everything. The usefulness of willows owes a great deal to their long, straight, slender, supple but strong shoots which make them perfect for basketry, weaving and other traditional crafts. Many activities such as living sculptures and screens would be impossible but for their ability to grow from cuttings and to produce rapid growth following the seemingly brutal cutting back as coppice and pollards. Other uses of willow such as cricket bats benefit from the light weight and strength of the timber which can withstand hard knocks without splintering.

If you are inspired by this site then you should download our willow activities pdfs and have a go yourself. The things you can do with willow are very wide ranging and there are activities falling into eight broad themes: