A MUSICIAN and woodworker is hoping to save some of the trees felled by Storm Ciarán from being burned for firewood by transforming them into bespoke acoustic guitars.
Hanni Osman (34) started repairing guitars when he was just 12 years old and made his first instrument from scratch when he was still a teenager.
But he had an appreciation of trees even before he started creating with wood.
He grew up at his grandparents’ house, which had an arboretum filled with rare species of trees.
“Whenever a big tree from my grandfather’s arboretum fell, it was losing a part of my childhood,” he said.
Speaking of the impact of Storm Ciarán, he added: “The sentimentality of something like a tree becomes more prevalent when something like this happens.
“You realise these are key landmark features in someone’s life.”
Following the storm, Mr Osman posted on social media calling for donations of the wood from trees felled by the storm.
He wrote: “I’m thinking if life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
“The storm, while devastating, presents a unique opportunity, as good-quality local timber isn’t really commercially available.”
His post prompted a flurry of support, with one commenter saying: “It would be wonderful to make things out of some of the felled trees – they hold so many memories for Islanders.”
Mr Osman explained that the storm presented the opportunity for him to create guitars from “local sustainable timber which [he] wouldn’t be about to normally get”.
“It feels nice to be able to reuse some of the wood from these trees rather than it just being turned into firewood,” he said. “It gives me the opportunity to be creative, while also giving back to the community.”
Mr Osman added that anyone who donated wood would receive a trinket of their choosing made from their tree as a repayment.
Seven people with trees felled by Storm Ciarán have already been in touch with Mr Osman, and he is also hoping to make further guitars from the fallen trees in his grandfather’s arboretum, which is now owned by his uncle.
