A FORMER senior RAF officer has turned his high flying talents to making intricate gifts for a church’s Christmas fundraiser.
Robert Knotts from Austerlands hand-crafted a colourful array of ornaments and decorations in a marathon pre-Yuletide extravaganza.
And this year the bulk of his painstaking labours were sold at a Christmas market to support the Holy Trinity Church charity at Dobcross.
In all, the kindly Saddleworth parish councillor made 20 Christmas Santas, 20 snowmen, 12 reindeer and 60 Christmas tree ornaments.
He started carving more than 40 years ago while stationed in Singapore, initially creating wooden dishes, animals and Welsh Love Spoons.
In the 1980s while stationed in Germany, he visited Oberammagau in Bavaria and was inspired to turn his attention to festive objects.
Rob explained: “The town was filled with wood carving shops selling an amazing array of nativity scenes, angel and Christmas ornaments.
“It inspired me to carve a nativity scene which still graces my home every year at Christmas time and led me to study different Christmas traditions throughout the world, particularly those associated with the ‘Gift Givers’.”
His ‘Gift Giver’ figures include England’s Father Christmas, America’s Santa, Germany’s Weinachtmann, the Dutch Sinterklaas, St Nicholas from the Czech Republic, the Norwegian Nisse and Russia’s Father Frost.
He chose yew to carve the nativity figures because of the association of the tree with the church as it appears across Britain in churchyards and cemeteries.
Rob said:” When it’s carved, smoothed and polished it takes on s lovely warm appearance which reflects the love represented by the Nativity.
“But getting proficient carving human figures took a lot of determination and patience – facial features particularly were very difficult.
“Then my carving extended into snowmen and all aspects surrounding the Yuletide festivity.”
Rob hosts presentations and talks on the traditions of Christmas and his wood carving to local clubs and organisations.
Every year he carves Father Christmas figures as gifts for family and friends and for the first time this year has added a reindeer to his presents.
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