Teamwork at its best. The Oswin Project team take time out from their highly skilled work restoring a 200-year-old wall in historic Bothal village, Northumberland.
The team – pictured with Bernicia’s employability partner Luke Dargie – have spent three months completely rebuilding the wall from its foundations upwards, after it fell into disrepair protecting a home from the Bothal Burn flowing through the village.
The Oswin Project supports ex-offenders through mentoring, training and paid employment to help rebuild their lives.
Bernicia’s employability team has backed the project with a £10,000 grant, allowing the team time to learn the skills needed to restore the 45 metre long wall, including stone cutting, mixing and applying heritage mortar and fitting in a drainage system.
The wall is nearly complete – a stunning restoration project to return it to its former glory using highly skilled traditional building techniques – all in-demand skills which are transferable across the construction and building sectors.