A HEREFORDSHIRE wood craftsman explained the intricacies of his trade to HRH The Prince of Wales during a seminar at Highgrove.

Mike Abbott, of Bishops Frome, attended the meeting, chaired by Lord Cranborne, in a move to get landowners and tradesman together to discuss their various needs.

Prince Charles, whose estates include many hundreds of acres of woodland, has been talking to wood craftsmen all over the country. He has spent some time researching the difficulties they face in finding the right wood and in coping with today's sophisticated market place.

Mike said: "It was a great honour to receive an invitation from St James' Palace to represent the green-wood industry at this important seminar.

"He was really interested to hear about the work that is going on throughout the country to move the industry into the 21st century.

"It also provided us with a valuable opportunity to get our message across to some of the most influential landowners in the country, on whom we depend for sourcing our supplies."

Mike is well known in the Marches area for his woodcraft skills and his training programmes to bring young people into the green-wood industry.