A MIDDLEWICH axeman is out to prove he can cut it at a game fair next weekend.

John Tunstall will be joining in his team of forestry aces taking on the lumberjack Iron Man challenge at the Welsh Game Fair.

A lecturer in forestry and arboriculture at Reaseheath College, John is also a member of the Clwyd Axemen, the North Wales-based group he joined 14 years ago.

The 31-year-old had only joined the group to help out at first, but has since developed a passion for the activity and is now training for the Iron Man challenge. 

He said: "I was just helping them out at first but I’ve been taking part in the displays for quite a while now and it’s really hard work but I enjoy it. It certainly keeps you fit.

"It’s the fitness aspect that is the hardest thing to get used to because when you are first learning how to use the axe it’s just exhausting.

"It’s more of a mad dash than a marathon because when you get going it’s really a sudden explosion of energy.

"I really liked the fact the skill of using an axe in the forest was once part and parcel of rural life and was for centuries before chainsaws arrived."

For the rarely performed Iron Man challenge, the team will be hoping to set a record with their timed attempt at the under-hand, the standing block and finally the jigger board climb.

Northwich Guardian: The Clwyd Axemen, clockwise from top left, Mike Hanlon, Ben Jones, Alun Jones, Jon Bond, Dewi Pugh and Osian WilliamsThe Clwyd Axemen, clockwise from top left, Mike Hanlon, Ben Jones, Alun Jones, Jon Bond, Dewi Pugh and Osian Williams (Image: Clwyd Axemen)

For the under-hand the lumberjack will have to stand on a log while swinging a razor-sharp axe to chop it in two, switch to the standing block which simulates felling a tree and finally tackle the jigger board climb, cutting two wedges into a three-metre trunk of wood to place boards in to climb up to chop the block off the top.

John added: "It’s a spectacular feat and it’s rarely performed because it’s so difficult."

John has his own collection of more than 50 axes and is often joined on Clwyd Axemen displays by 14-year-old schoolboy Billy Gaul, who is also from Middlewich and already has an impressive axe collection of his own.

These can be worth hundreds of pounds each and John added: "Racing axes can be worth up to £800. They’re really special and a lot goes into them but the price can be a bit intimidating.

"Billy already has a fantastic collection and he’s due to be with us at Bangor for the Welsh Game Fair – the lads in the team call him Billy Bach which is Little Billy in Welsh.

"It was fantastic there last year but it was a bit of a marathon because we went straight there from two days at the Westmoreland Show so we’re really looking forward to being a bit fresher this time."

The Welsh Game Fair will be held at the Faenol Estate, near Bangor, on September 9 and 10 and the displays by the Clwyd Axemen are just part of a programme of activities over the two days.

The event is open each day from 9am to 5.30pm with free parking and children under eight admitted free.