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 sgian dubh and dirk making.
A sgian dubh is a ceremonial knife typically worn with full Scottish highland dress. The name means ‘black knife’ or ‘black dagger’. There are differences in opinion on the origins of this name; it could be because of the black wood used in the handle, or it could refer to its original use as a concealed weapon.
Sgian dubhs are worn as part of Scottish national dress, while horn sgian dubhs would have been worn during the day as a working knife. Dirks are long bladed daggers that are now a symbolic traditional and ceremonial weapon worn by officers, pipers and drummers of Scottish Highland regiments.
Techniques include bladesmithing, scabbard making and hilt making. The most highly-prized knives have hand-carved ebony, bog wood (hence black knives), antler or bone hilts, sterling silver fittings and may have pommels set with precious or semi-precious stones.
Sgian dubh and dirk making is classified as endangered on our Red List of Endangered Crafts. Threats to the craft include the fact that many sgian dubh are now made overseas for the mass market and are significantly cheaper than the handmade knives. Plastic components are now often used in the mass production of knives and, again, are significantly cheaper than handmade versions.
https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/craft/sgian-dubh-and-dirk-making/
Images: Frederick Alexander Graham @haywardandstott
#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #sgiandubhmaking #dirkmaking
🏴 Wales is home to an incredible wealth of traditional skills. We are thrilled to announce that nominations are now OPEN for the Wales Maker of the Year Award 2026 supported by @hiutdenim.
We want to recognise a heritage craftsperson in Wales who has made an outstanding contribution in the past 12 months. Whether you’ve pushed your craft to new heights or worked tirelessly to promote its survival, we want to champion the simple, humble and essential skills that define our communities.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, one winner from the four UK nations will have their prize topped up to £2,000, supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust.
📅 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/wales-maker-of-the-year-award/
📷 @raunihigson MBE
#heritagecrafts #craftskills #walesmaker #madeinwales #traditionalskills
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Apprentice Sewing Machinist
Location: Manchester
Deadline: 27 May 2026
From hotels to guest houses, holiday lets to student accommodation, chalets to cruise ships, restaurants, spas, palaces, private jets and super yachts, Richard Haworth Ltd has been supplying a wide range of linens for over 140 years.
The company is currently seeking an Apprentice Sewing Machinist with good communication skills, punctuality and a strong work ethic. This is an 18 month apprenticeship leading to a Sewing Machinist (level 2) qualification.
The role will involve:
• Learning different sewing techniques using an industrial sewing machine, such as flat sewing, overlocking etc.
• Following instructions on a manufacturing specification
• Conducting quality checks throughout the production process
• Maintaining machinery
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.
Are you the future of heritage building skills? We are thrilled to announce that nominations are now open for our Emerging Building Craftsperson of the Year Award 2026, supported by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings @spab1877.
We are looking for someone in the first five years of their practice who has made an outstanding start to their career. This award is for the rising stars in stonemasonry or gauged brickwork, timber framing or carpentry, heritage tiling or plastering … or any other craft focused on the construction, conservation or repair of buildings or structures.
We want to recognise those who are not only highly skilled amongst their peers but are also raising the profile of their craft. If you, or someone you know, has overcome setbacks to achieve success and is dedicated to the long-term future of heritage building skills, this is for you.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, we are also running similar awards in crafts such as stained glass and green woodworking, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by the British Society of Master Glass Painters, Woodsmith 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-building-craftsperson-of-the-year/
📷 2024 winner Barney Murray @barneywalling
#heritagecrafts #buildingcrafts #traditionalbuilding #traditionalcrafts #constructioncrafts
Heritage crafts feature in the current edition of BBC @countryfilemagazine. From blacksmithing in rural Herefordshire to woodland crafts in North Wales, meet the makers keeping these age-old crafts alive – and discover how you can try them for yourself.
“Many traditional crafts and trades that were once practiced around the UK have now faded into obscurity, with remaining craftspeople and experts in single figures. We are now facing the threat of these crafts disappearing entirely – but since 2009, a national charity called Heritage Crafts has been dedicated to maintaining these crafts on the British Isles.”
Featuring @oldfieldforge, @woodlandskillscentre and @nethertonfoundry.
https://www.countryfile.com/how-to/crafts/heritage-trad-crafts-uk
Join us in conversation with passementerie weaver @jessica_light_.
The ‘Tassel Queen of Bethnal Green’, Jessica Light is London’s last working passementerie weaver and maker, and one of the last of a long line of passementeriers to be trained within what is now an extinct London industry. She is known for making innovative, design-led passementerie that is hand-woven and hand-made to order in her East London workshop using techniques dating back to the 16th century.
Jessica considers all the elements, from colour to material to concept, to create unique collections of tassels, trims, tiebacks, rosettes and one-off bespoke pieces. She uses these historic skills, like a potter using throwing techniques, as a means to create original passementerie designs that go beyond the traditions of perceived passementerie and look to the future.
The session will take place on Zoom and attendees must register in advance via https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/events/jessicalightinconversation/ or the linktr.ee in our bio.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to submit questions in advance.
This week’s #mondaymaker is Pete Rix @rixandco – wood carver and rocking horse maker.
Pete has a commercial background in design and has been carving since the age of 14. Over the years he has developed his skills of sculpture and traditional woodcarving and in doing so has developed a true passion for these wonderful and timeless toys. In 2015 Pete and wife Anna founded Rix & Co. Anna heads up the finishing department and is responsible for the beautiful paint finishes and tack produced on each masterpiece.
The preservation and development of traditional craftsmanship is something close to Pete and Anna’s hearts, and maintaining the craft of the rocking horse maker is something they feel honoured to be a part of.
View Pete’s full profile on our Makers’ Directory: https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/maker/peterix/
#heritagecrafts #mondaymaker #rockinghorsemaking
🛠️ We’re officially looking for the UK’s heritage craft Trainer of the Year 2026! 🛠️
One of our core missions is to ensure that craft skills aren’t just preserved, but passed down effectively. This award, supported by @marshawards, celebrates the incredible individuals who dedicate their time to training the next generation of UK makers.
The term ‘trainer’ is broad. We are looking for anyone who shares their expertise, including those running everything from beginner taster sessions to professional traineeships and apprenticeships. You can nominate a trainer you know, your own trainer or even yourself.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, we will award a Trainee of the Year Award for the best learner, also currently open for nominations.
📅 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/trainer-of-the-year/. Let’s make sure these vital skills continue to inspire and thrive! 🧶🏺🔨
📷 2024 finalist @garethrees75 by @upholsteryeducation
#heritagecrafts #crafttraining #crafttrainer #craftskills #heritagecraftsawards
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