When it comes to inspiring the next generation to discover the value and fulfilment found in the carpentry and joinery trade — particularly in tackling the underrepresentation of women — Astrid Arnold is leading the way. In this piece, Astrid shares the mission behind her female-led company, TouchWood, reflects on the impact of winning Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2023, and reveals her exciting plans for growth.
Astrid, could you tell us a little about your own professional background, please?
My journey in the trade began almost 24 years ago when I saw an advert from a college called Women’s Education and Building, London. They were looking for women to enrol for an NVQ Level 2 in Site Carpentry & Joinery, which gave you the training and skills to be able to work on building sites.
When I finished my training, I continued to work on building sites as a self-employed carpenter. I enjoyed working on-site, but it quickly felt repetitive as I was mostly working on housing developments.
I was then introduced to someone who was teaching green woodwork in Herefordshire, and for three years learnt new techniques and how to use new tools. Following this, I then undertook training on timber frame house construction; it was then that I decided to become self-employed and start TouchWood Southwest in 2015.
How has winning Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2023 impacted your career?
Winning such a prestigious title was fantastic, as I was competing against some very talented tradespeople. The prize of a £20,000 bundle was made up of £10,000 to spend on tools, £5,000 worth of technology and £5,000 towards training. This has been a great help, and we have used it to support the existing training courses that we run for women in our local community.
TouchWood Southwest isn’t your average carpentry firm. Can you tell us more?
Touchwood Southwest is a female-led carpentry and joinery company, with a big focus on working within the community to empower women with woodworking skills.
We are a team of tradeswomen that teach a wide range of courses for up-and-coming tradespeople, as well as for DIY-ers, alongside offering traditional carpentry services. We have also been involved in several charitable initiatives that support women in the industry,
In addition, we also work with primary schools to bring practical skills into the curriculum. Our approach is that if we want to tackle the skills shortage at any point in the future, we must start in primary schools. In these sessions, we demonstrate how carpentry works and try to engage the children with the skills and fun involved in creating something.
One of your standout initiatives is ‘Women Build!’ — how did that come about, and what does it entail?
We wanted to support women who are survivors of domestic violence and decided to start an initiative called ‘Women Build!’ alongside the probation service. ‘Women Build!’ empowers women who are unemployed or on probation with their mental health through carpentry and woodworking, to support them in not only learning a new skill but helping them develop a path forward for the future.
When we started eight years ago, we taught women carpentry skills by building a mini timber-frame house. This house has been taken to the primary schools we work in, where it is used to help children not only in learning about carpentry, but also maths, geometry, and history.
Can you give an example of how your training connects with wider communities?
We look to provide opportunities to women who are on probation, some of whom have also experienced domestic violence. We teach them a variety of carpentry and DIY skills, which they can use to build pieces of furniture for themselves and for our online shop. The money raised from the sale of these goes back into the project.
We have worked with over 1,500 adults through our courses and probably the same number of children through our work in schools. It has been very impactful, and I’m excited for what the future brings.
How do you fund your community training work?
Over the past eight years, we have raised tens of thousands of pounds of grant money to fund our initiatives, which support our educational training programmes.
What’s next for TouchWood Southwest?
At our core, we are a carpentry and joinery company, providing a service to both clients and students. At the moment, we are expanding a little, which has allowed us to take on bigger projects for clients and build our team of amazing female tutors.
It would be great to do more with the education sector. We have worked with primary schools over the last 8-9 years, and to expand our work into secondary schools would be fantastic.
Sadly, working in the trade is still viewed as a second-class career choice, which could not be further from the truth. I would love to set up a team to help inspire secondary school students, particularly young women, about entering the trade.
To find out more about the training courses offered by Astrid and her team at TouchWood Southwest, head to: www.touchwoodsouthwest.com
For more information about the Screwfix Top Tradesperson competition, visit www.screwfix.com
