Reviving heritage crafts: Connecting communities with coppicing

This case study by Gareth Thomas, published in Craft Research examines a community-driven heritage initiative centred on the restoration of an urban hazel coppice adjacent to the historic Hafod/Morfa Copperworks in Swansea.

Co-produced by Swansea University, local stakeholders and educational institutions, the project aimed to equip participants with rural heritage coppicing skills whilst restoring a small hazel coppice using traditional methods through an immersive coppicing programme.

By employing a co-production framework that brought together community input, statutory authorities and traditional expertise, the project provides a replicable model for introducing rural heritage skills into urban environments.

Reviving heritage crafts: Connecting communities with coppicing | Intellect 

• Source: Craft Research, Volume 16, Issue 2, Oct 2026, p. 249 - 261
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00162_7