SENIOR members of the Carlisle Bonsai Club detailed their love for the craft at their latest monthly meeting.
On Tuesday, March 7 the club reconvened at the Harraby Community Centre for a monthly session which included a spring re-potting demonstration from local Bonsai expert, and co-founder of the club, Tony Robinson.
At the meeting, club regulars John Gilbert and Mike Rayson, alongside co-founder Dave Hetherington, discussed their love for Bonsai.
John said: "I have been in the club for around about six years, and I am a relative newcomer. I took up Bonsai quite late in life but I am addicted to it now.
"It is one of the loves of my life getting the trees sorted.
"I have always wanted to do Bonsai for many years and it was only because I got to know that the club was here, I went along and it has grown from there.
"That is one of the major things we want. We want to encourage everybody, I mean people say 'I could not possibly do it' but anyone can do it.
"If you have grown plants in the garden you can do Bonsai."
Dave started the club in 1995 and has been a statesman of the craft in the local area ever since, becoming well-known for his Bonsai skill and pot-making prowess.
At the monthly meeting, he discussed how far the club had come.
He said: "We look back at photographs and laugh at the trees we started with but we were fair proud of them.
"It is a nice social event as well because we have the monthly meeting but us guys that are regulars meet up every week, every Tuesday and we bounce ideas off each other."
Fellow member Mike, after being inspired by a tree that his son had brought home, got involved in the club.
Over the years this has included several workshops with global Bonsai experts and a Bonsai tour of Japan with fellow club member John.
He said: "I like the camaraderie and meeting the lads, we develop our trees and work on them in a happy environment.
"The sticks in pots stay as sticks in pots until they meet people like us."
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