Turkish delight for Hyndburn company Altham Oak (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Turkish delight for Hyndburn company Altham Oak

8:00pm Friday 14th October 2011 in Altham By Jonathon Dillon, Assistant news editor

STAFF at an East Lancashire firm are beaming with delight after landing a £100,000 deal to build oak frames for a housing project in Turkey.

Carpentry firm Altham Oak has been commissioned to design and build 11 oak frames and trusses for the plush house in the Anatolian Mountains.

It is the biggest-ever commission for the company and its first export order.

The firm has previously made bespoke garden furniture for the late property tycoon Gerald Hitman in Brockhall Village and a two-storey stairway, roof structure and oak floor beams for a house in Bolton-by-Bow-land.

Established in 1989, Altham Oak was set-up as a co-operative with guidance from the Co-operative Enterprise Hub after workers became concerned with the exploitation of rain forests and over reliance on imported timber.

There are seven mem-bers of the co-operative and six employees.

Barbara Sanders, a director of Altham Oak, said: “With so much beautiful English timber under-used, especially oak, we decided to establish a market for good quality domestic timber products that showcased traditional carpentry skills and had less impact on the environment.

“With mainstream timber construction typically rejecting curved logs in favour of more easily machinable straight ones, our niche supply of excellent quality logs offer the opportunity to create uniquely individual structural designs with an emphasis on organic forms and natural curves, shapes and textures."

Oak for the project is sourced from a Yorkshire sawmill that has provided timber for other large projects such as The Globe in London.