A woodcarving club is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Latvian Second World War refugee Viltold Janis Bukovskis – known as John - held the first Enfield Woodcarving Club on February 9 three decades ago.

Although John passed away in October 2004 at the age of 78 the club has continued.

It meets once a week on Tuesday evenings between 7:30pm and 9:30pm at Chace Community School.

Membership may have fluctuated over the years with the lowest number being three and the highest 10, but there is still interest in the craft.

Enfield Woodcarving Club currently has eight members and people wanting to join are welcome.

Club organiser George Anglis said: “There is often a misconception that to be able to carve and create sculptures in wood you must be an artist of some sort. This is not the case.

“As I say to all new members who join us, and who have never carved before, ‘give me a love of wood, lots and lots of patience and I will show you everything else’.

Going forward we aim to continue evolving as a club and to get as many people as we can involved in this fascinating, rewarding and relaxing hobby.

“Here’s to the next 30 years.”

Founder Vitold Janis ‘John’ Bukovskis first worked in a coalmine and then as a leather worker, but his passion was woodcarving.

He applied to become a woodcarving tutor at the Enfield Evening Institute of Education at Kingsmead School.

When this ended John found a new venue on the top floor of the Millfield Arts Centre, in Silver Street.

Owing to work carried out on Millfield House in July 2010 the Club moved to its current location Chace Community School.

For more information visit www.enfieldwoodcarvingclub.com or contact George Anglis on 07703 219 022.