Shropshire Rotarian adds 'sleigh maker' to CV
A Shropshire Rotarian has been telling of the challenge of designing and building a brand new sleigh suitable for meeting the needs of the next decade.
Starting with a blank sheet of paper, Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club’s vice president Johnathan Callwood began the process of designing an inexpensive and lightweight sleigh which would not only meet current requirements, but would be fit for purpose for many years.
He was speaking as the new sleigh still has 10 more engagements to fulfil in what is one of the Rotary club’s busiest Christmas programmes.
“Driving the club’s old sleigh, I quickly realised it was too heavy, big and cumbersome for the modern age. The trigger for me was fellow Rotarians finding it difficult to handle and I was concerned about its age.
“When I’m presented with a problem I’ll find a way to resolve it. I’m a good problem solver and always find this fun. So we went down the rabbit hole of resolving the problem.
“When I was told the chassis wasn’t safe and wasn’t economical or viable to repair that was the starting point. It was discussed and we agreed a way forward.
“My design criteria was for it to be cheap, lightweight and fit for purpose for many years. That it would be future proof and would last for a long time with minimum maintenance.
“I did some research and looked at antique sleighs, reindeer in their winter coats and came up with a rough design. I realised that Rudolph who was mounted on his stand looked as though he was flying and I wanted to replicate that for the Sleigh.”
A sleigh must have skis, so Johnathan incorporated them cleverly so they could be used as steps as well. On choosing materials, aluminium fitted the bill as it is light and with the huge generosity of Shropshire Stainless and Aluminium the Rotary club could afford to build the Sleigh out of aluminium.
The lighting show on the old sleigh was based on old technology and needed a generator to run it. “The environmental aspects of the generator were unacceptable,” he went on, “plus the noise, pollution and cost of running the generator were not acceptable. So a battery system was designed to run the lights and the music system. Low energy LED lighting was incorporated and power consumption is very low.
“I reckon we must have put in 80-plus man hours to make the sleigh and Rudolph – who was in a sorry state – must have taken about 15 man hours to restore.
“He is a laminated design and the timber in the middle of him had become very damp. It had extended and become very delaminated. Half his head fell off and his legs were falling off. I had to clean him out, glue inject him, clamp him up and put in reinforced timber to hold him together.
“He was filled, prepped, sanded, primed, painted and a sparkle gell coat put on him. He was re-wired and the cables were re-routed. He has also been given a new light up red nose and he has re-appeared in a winter coat with flashing antlers.
“Work in progress includes more lighting and fitting a microphone for the amplifiers, Gild the antlers and make a bespoke cover for Rudolf and the Sleigh. As a result, we now have something which is fit for purpose for the 21st century and we can now take advantage of new opportunities for fundraising.”
Johnathan added: “The project actually started at a difficult time for me personally. My father was taken very ill and eventually passed away. Sleigh building proved a positive distraction that helped me navigate my grief. Working with my fellow Rotarians supported me and encouraged me greatly. Their positivity and good humour was just what I needed.
“All my years of experience , problem solving, making things and completing projects, has culminated in this challenge which I am very proud of. I can now add Sleigh maker to my CV!”
