A voice for craft
The national charity for heritage craft skills
Supporting craft heritage
We are the national charity set up to celebrate, support and safeguard traditional craft skills, and to facilitate a national conversation about their importance to everyone now and in the future.
We are passionate about ensuring that everyone has access to craft skills that have developed over generations, and which we believe will be vital in helping us tackle the challenges of the future – and to be able to enjoy making as part of a fulfilled life.
Our Patron is His Majesty King Charles III.
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Heritage Crafts was set up just fifteen years ago. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, advocating at the highest levels for crafts, publishing the Red List of Endangered Crafts, and distributing 95 grants through the Endangered Crafts Fund. We have awarded 131 training bursaries, established the Heritage Crafts Awards and shone a spotlight on our world-renowned makers through 33 National Honours successes.
Many more people are now aware of traditional crafts and the objects produced by those who carry in their hands, heads, and also hearts the skills and techniques that have been passed down through the generations.
To continue this work we need your support. Please consider making a donation, however big or small, to help ensure that heritage craft skills in the UK are given the opportunity to thrive.
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This week’s #craftfocus is split cane rod making.
Split cane rods were developed in the USA in the 1870s. Until this time rods had been made from whole cane or solid wood, and the split cane rod was a big improvement due to its lightness and flexibility (the ‘carbon fibre of its day’). Despite the introduction of fibreglass and carbon fibre, split cane can be just as good. Today, split cane rods are a luxury good, but they still need to have all the performance that split cane rods had in their heyday.
Split cane rods are specifically made with tonkin bamboo grown in a small area of southern China. It is a very sustainable crop harvested every few years and is one of the quickest growing plants on the planet. Only a tiny fraction is used to make rods – the rest used as scaffolding and furniture.
The cane is split out from two inch diameter culms which are straightened and flattened before heat treating and planning to shape each of the six equilateral strips that make up a hexagonal section. The work is very precise with sections accurate to a thousand of an inch. Planed sections are glued and bound before finishing and adding handles, ferrules and guides.
Split cane rod making is classified as endangered on our Red List of Endangered Crafts. Bamboo rods still have many benefits over carbon, and yet there is a mindset, instilled by the carbon rod manufacturers, that cane is heavy and weak. This could not be further than the truth, especially for the traditional realm of streams, where cane rods are the unsurpassed ruler.
https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/craft/split-cane-rod-making/
Images: Edward Barder @barder_rod
#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #splitcanerodmaking #fishingrodmaking
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Apprentice Craft Technician: Ceramics
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
Based in the historic heart of the British ceramics industry and founded by a fifth-generation ceramics family, @1882ltd is dedicated to bridging the gap between centuries-old heritage craft and contemporary design.
The vacancy is for an apprentice Craft Technician: Ceramics. The successful applicant will be trained across many aspects of pottery/ceramics production. This will include learning and understanding materials, design and production techniques, finishing and packaging of goods. This is a hands-on role working within an active ceramics factory. Your day-to-day department will be the Decoration & Glazing team. You will receive extensive training in all heritage and contemporary decoration techniques and processes.
You will also be placed on a Level 3 Craft Technician: Ceramics apprenticeship. You will be required to attend training with Creative Alliance and partner organisations throughout the 18 months of the course.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
The future of leatherworking depends on the next generation of talent. Nominations are now OPEN for the Emerging Leatherworker of the Year Award 2026, supported by @theleathersellers, to celebrate those in the first five years of their professional practice who are already making their mark.
This award is open to any craft where leather is the primary material, including fashion and accessories, saddlery, bridlery and harness making, shoemaking, tanning and more!
✨ Who are we looking for?
This award celebrates an early-career heritage craftsperson (in the first five years of their professional practice) who has made an outstanding start to their leatherworking career. We are looking for a maker who:
• Demonstrates a high level of technical skill.
• Raises the profile of weaving through sharing what they do.
• Shows the grit and dedication to achieve long-term success.
🏆 The Prize
The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize and will be celebrated at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November 2026. Plus, we are also running similar awards in crafts, such as upholstery and embroidery, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by House of Sonnaz, the Broderers’ Company and others.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/emerging-leatherworker-of-the-year/.
📷 2025 winner @leathercrafthill @silverliningfurniture
#heritagecrafts #leatherwork #saddlery #shoemaking #heritagecraftsawards
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Apprentice Upholstery Cutter and Sewing Machinist
Location: Stafford
Designers, makers, and restorers of hospitality furniture @taylorsclassicsfurniture are looking for an apprentice Upholstery Cutter and Sewing Machinist to join their team. @webstrainingltd
This is a fantastic opportunity to learn a heritage skill, where we are keen to find an enthusiastic person who will be self-motivated and eager to learn, and passionate about creating high quality products.
The ideal candidate will be a sociable, team player who will integrate with the team. A keen eye for detail and a genuine passion for upholstery and creativity would be helpful.
You will work towards a Standard Level 2 Furniture Manufacturer Modern Upholsterer Apprenticeship with training by the employer within the workplace and also at WEBS Training in Nottingham in four-day blocks roughly every ten weeks.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
We are thrilled to announce that nominations are now OPEN for the inaugural Emerging Stained Glass Maker of the Year Award supported by the British Society of Master Glass Painters @bsmgp. This award shines a spotlight on the next generation of talent pioneering this luminous heritage craft. 🎨🌈
✨ Who are we looking for?
This award celebrates an early-career heritage craftsperson (in the first five years of their professional practice) who has made an outstanding start to their stained glass career. We want to celebrate someone who is not only highly skilled but is also raising the profile of stained glass through sharing their passion and artistry. This includes practitioners in:
• Stained glass window making
• Traditional glass painting
• Stained glass conservation and repair
🏆 The Prize
The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize and will be celebrated at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November 2026. Plus, we are also running similar awards in crafts, such as building crafts and metalwork, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by SPAB, Lucy and Laurence Butcher and others.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/emerging-stained-glass-maker-of-the-year-award/.
📷 2025 bursary recipient Kerrie Hanna by Kate Donaldson
#heritagecrafts #stainedglass #glasspainting #stainedglassconservation #heritagecraftsawards
This week’s #mondaymaker is Nicholas Rowe – wood turner.
Nicholas’s artistic woodturning practice draws inspiration from the bark, grain, imperfections and distinctive features in green/wet, seasoned and reclaimed wood he sources locally.
Deciding initially what form enables the best appreciation of the natural material’s visual and tactile qualities, Nicholas often alters the final form to respect hidden voids, cracks, spalting lines or grain ripples that reveal themselves whilst turning.
These features may pose challenges that others shy away from but he continues to hone the skills required to incorporate them as they are true to the material’s character and uniqueness.
View Nicholas’ full profile on our Makers’ Directory: https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/maker/nicholasrowe/
#heritagecrafts #mondaymaker #woodturning
Do you know a master craftsperson whose dedication has stood the test of time? 🧶✂️🪚
The Lifetime Achievement award, supported by @marshawards, recognises a heritage craftsperson who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to their specific craft over 25 years or more.
It celebrates a lifetime’s dedication to a particular traditional skill, resulting in a practitioner operating at the highest level, having made a significant impact on the continued high-esteem in which their craft is held.
🏆 The prize
The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize and will be celebrated at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November 2026. We will also award a Trainer of the Year and Maker of the Year Awards, each with prizes of £1,000 provided by the Marsh Charitable Trust and others.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/lifetime-achievement-award/
📷 2025 finalist Mick Gregory @soanebritain
#heritagecrafts #traditionalcraft #heritagecraftsawards #lifetimeachievement
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Apprentice Craft Technician: Ceramics
Location: Stoke-On-Trent
Emma Bridgewater makes lovely, useful things that help capture moments of joy. From a favourite mug to a well-loved plate or bowl, the pieces they create become part of everyday life and the stories people tell.
The vacancy is for an Apprentice Craft Technician: Ceramics. This is a hands-on role working within an active ceramics factory. The successful applicant will be trained across many aspects of pottery/ceramics production, including:
• Learning and understanding materials
• Design and production techniques
• Finishing and packaging of goods
You will also be placed on a Level 3 Craft Technician: Ceramics apprenticeship. You will be required to attend training with Creative Alliance and partner organisations throughout the 18 months of the course. Successful completion of the programme is expected to lead to the opportunity for a permanent role, offering long-term career progression within the organisation.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
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