Following on from two recent coracle builds by Dave Purvis and Chris Morgan, Barney O’Kane and his colleagues at the Down to Earth Project in Swansea, which caters for pupils with special needs and learning difficulties, decided it would be appropriate if they added two traditional Welsh coracles to their ever growing collection, for use on their many river expeditions during the year.

Taking advantage of the barmy weather, Cilgerran netsman Mark Dellar and colleague Dan Rogers arrived to lead a two day build with a local school group, where the students learnt the intricacies of putting together these fascinating craft.

By the end of day two, two frames had been completed ready for Mark and Dan to take away with them to cover and complete, before Barney and the team were ready to try them out on the Teifi during their next river outing.

Pupils and staff had a most enjoyable time and were intrigued to learn that although Dan was Cilgerran born and bred, Mark - although domiciled in Cilgerran - originally hails from Western Australia. How traditional is that?

Dave Purvis