CHAINSAW carver Tommy Craggs is spending a spell creating a wizard from a felled tree at a Northumberland visitor attraction.

The wizard is the latest in a series of carvings Tommy has provided at the National Trust’s Cragside estate, near Rothbury.

And he is hoping that the magic rubs off next weekend when he competes in an international chainsaw carving competition in Manchester.

Tommy, 47, from Consett in County Durham, has twice made third place in previous contests and is hoping to come out on top this time.

The 8ft high sorcerer, which should be complete by tomorrow, is being carved from an oak tree.

It is sited at Cragside’s rhododendron labyrinth to guide visitors down the correct path.

Tommy’s previous Cragside creations have included an owl in the formal garden, the labyrinth’s Lord of the Rings story chair, a kingfisher and a 7ft wide depiction of the Green Man of the forests.

In June he came third in an international contest in British Columbia in Canada.

Until 2006 Tommy worked as a tree feller but was inspired to try his hand at creating after turning out garden wooden mushrooms.

Now he earns a living as a full-time chainsaw carver and is working on figures of miners at a site in Fir Tree in County Durham.

Tommy also carved pieces for the newly-restored Barnes Park in Sunderland.

He said: “It is a very physical and challenging job. One wrong cut and you could ruin the whole thing. “You do need a lot of patience, attention to detail and imagination.