MOST people rarely get the chance to witness the brute force of blacksmiths.

But visitors to the Earth Trust Centre in Little Wittenham near Didcot got the chance to hammer away at metal and man the fire pits during a taster workshop.

The blacksmith taster session at the centre, which took place on Saturday, was for complete beginners.

Visitors were able to see a trained blacksmith at work and were then allowed to take a whack at making their own pieces.

One individual who took part was software developer Stuart Pullinger, of Steventon.

The 36-year-old said: “I found it very hard work actually, It’s very physical and it’s not what I’m used to.

“It was a lot tougher than I had imagined.

“But I did enjoy it.”

During the session, Mr Pullinger manufactured a handle for the pull cord for his downstairs toilet.

He said: “I would definitely try it again – I think next time I’ll try a full day session.”

Mr Pullinger said that he hasn’t been swayed to abandon his job as a software developer yet, but added: “Maybe after the next session, I’ll go full-time.”

Trust spokeswoman Lucy Benyon said 33 people took part in the taster event.

She added: “These free taster sessions give people the opportunity to try something different and our next session on June 13 will involve working with wool.”

The Earth Trust offers a number of taster sessions on weekends varying from ironwork, to wool work, and scything.

The trust looks after Wittenham Clumps, near Didcot, Oxfordshire’s most popular beauty spot.

Thousands of people gathered at the clumps in July last year to watch Didcot A’s three cooling towers being demolished.

For more information on the classes the charity offers, visit earthtrust.org.uk