An enthusiastic archer has given a new lease of life to two felled yews, by turning them into traditional longbows.

The trees were removed from Kingston Hill as part of clearance work on the university campus and Reverend Stan Brown, Kingston University chaplain, salvaged the wood.

Rev Brown said: “Reusing the yews seemed like an ideal opportunity to find ethically-sourced, low carbon footprint timber which is often extremely difficult.”

Rev Brown, who is a member of the Company of Sixty field archery group in Oxshott, hopes he will be able to make up to five traditional longbows from the wood.

He said: “All the longbows we use in field archery are handmade, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to give a few away. Making the bows, however, will be a long process as the wood needs to be seasoned for at least a year before it can be worked.”

Developers have been keen to find alternative uses for the demolition’s by-products and old furniture was recently donated to charity.

The university’s director of property management and development, Andrew McEwan, said: “When we found out about Stan’s unusual hobby we were delighted. Not only does it mean the wood doesn’t get wasted, but it also helps a traditional woodland craft to thrive.”

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