Wetherden event Weird and Wonderful Wood to return to Haughley Park this year

An outdoor festival celebrating woodwork and crafts is set to return this year after being cancelled two years in a row due to the pandemic.

Weird and Wonderful Wood will take place in Wetherden near Stowmarket across May 14 and 15, and is a particularly poignant year for creator Tarby Davenport who received an MBE in December 2021.

Tarby has since retired from running the event and has passed the baton over to daughter, Sarah Barker.

The fair will include events such as free workshops, woodcarving demonstrations, musical instrument making, den building, as well as a variety of music and shows.

Tarby said: “It feels excellent that it can go ahead this year. It’s about time that events start to get going again. It’s been so popular over the last few years.”

Across the two days the fair usually attracts over 8,000 people and this year will include celebrations to recognise Tarby’s achievements.

New organiser Sarah said: “It’s a huge relief to me and everyone involved that life is returning to normal. Weird and Wonderful Wood had been a staple for so many people year after year and to have a gap of two years was a quite a shock.

“I feel really honoured that I’m going to be the custodian of it for a while because in a way it belongs to Suffolk and hopefully it will be passed on through the years for local people and the craftspeople keeping alive those old trades.”

Weird and Wonderful Wood will take place at Haughley Park in Wetherden. For more information, see here.