We are Dennis and Linda Wall, man and wife team from Ulverston, who have turned our hobby into a full time business, we both make bespoke hand crafted crooks and sticks for the discerning countryman (or woman) or anyone interested in field sports. Our sticks have gone all over the world, and to many celebrities and even royalty.
It all started 20 years ago when Dennis had to take early retirement from SLDC, My Father came round with three ram horns and a book he had picked up for 50p at a car boot sale. He asked Dennis if he could make him a crook, the first attempt was a simple basic crook, but it worked. Wanting more knowledge on the subject we joined the British Stick makers Guild, and started to attend country shows to talk to other stick makers, and to see the very high standard of the sticks in the competitions. After a couple of years gaining more experience Dennis offered to train me in carving the sticks because I had a keen interest when attending the shows. I now specialise in carving people's dogs and other animals from photographs, and make sticks in wood, buffalo and Antler horn, while Dennis does the more traditional rams horns, which needs some formers and presses, and heat to change them from a by-product to not only a thing of beauty, but a very useful accessory when out in the county side.
We have both appeared on BBC’s Countryfile program a few years back when some of Dennis’s sticks were chosen for the County File Calendar. We are both often called upon to judge at many prestigious shows throughout the country, and do our selves run a two day stick show at Lowther on behalf of the British Stick Makers Guild.