A voice for craft

Over seven posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent Endangered Crafts Fund round.

Aaron Wright @wrightsheritageglaziers, from Norfolk, has secured an Endangered Crafts Fund grant to support high-quality apprentice training in historic stained glass conservation.

Stained glass conservation is a highly demanding, intricate discipline that faces a critical skills gap as experienced practitioners approach retirement. Funding is a major barrier for small independent studios trying to train new talent, as the cumulative costs of wages, travel and statutory fees are incredibly high.

This grant will cover the costs of enrolling Aaron’s apprentice Josh onto the Stained Glass Apprenticeship at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Aaron, who is in the final stages of his own ICON Accreditation @conservators_uk, is fully funding Josh’s living wage, travel and accommodation to provide a stable, supportive environment. Through structured mentoring on live commissions, this project sets a brilliant example of sustainable, fair-wage training in the heritage craft sector.

This round’s grants are funded by the Julia Rausing Trust and a private donor.

Aaron said: “We are incredibly honoured to receive this support from Heritage Crafts. As a newly established conservation studio, the funding represents far more than financial assistance; it is a vote of confidence in our vision to preserve traditional stained glass craftsmanship and invest in the next generation of heritage conservators. It will help us continue delivering high-quality conservation while ensuring these specialist skills remain part of the UK’s living heritage. We are sincerely grateful to Heritage Crafts for helping make that possible.”

Heritage Crafts has awarded seven new grants through its Endangered Crafts Fund, which was launched in 2019 to increase the likelihood of at-risk craft skills surviving into the next generation. This round’s grants are funded by the Julia Rausing Trust and a private donor.

The seven successful recipients are:

• Elena Fleury-Rojo @redflowerglass, from Essex, to purchase a dedicated scientific glassblowing torch setup and associated equipment, to build on her training bursary and preserve the endangered craft of scientific glassblowing.

• Robert Girling @selinijewellery, from Lancashire, to purchase specialist machinery and establish a functional diamond cutting workshop, expanding his lapidary skills into traditional diamond cutting and passing this endangered knowledge on to future generations.

• Rosa Harradine @rosaharradine, from Sheffield, to purchase an antique Lipe & Walrath stitching machine to use alongside her foot-powered winder, to improve efficiency and sustainability in traditional broom and brush making.

• Philippe L’olive, from Kent, to purchase and modify a draw-bench and its associated tooling to produce specialised tubing in-house, as part of his mission to reduce reliance on imported components in UK brass musical instrument making.

• Mark Marchant @ceramicmouldsuk, from Stoke-on-Trent, to support specialist tool costs, materials and teaching time to train an apprentice in mould making, blocking and casing, safeguarding critically endangered industrial pottery skills.

• Caroline West @englishlacemaker, from Tyne and Wear, to establish a national mentorship programme that pairs aspiring lace teachers with experienced makers, to address the critical shortage of teachers in the endangered craft of bobbin lace.

• Aaron Wright @wrightsheritageglaziers, from Norfolk, to support the costs of enrolling an apprentice onto the Stained Glass Apprenticeship at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, helping secure the future of historic stained glass conservation.

Read more via the linktr.ee in our bio. We will post more about each of the recipients over the coming days.

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for our inaugural Emerging Green Woodworker of the Year Award, supported by @woodsmith_uk! 🪓🌳🪵

• Mike Abbott @abbottslivingwood – Universally acknowledged as the ‘godfather’ of British green woodworking, Mike has spent over forty years reviving and refining traditional woodland skills. Through his internationally acclaimed courses in Herefordshire and three seminal books, Mike has trained thousands of makers worldwide, fostering a global ‘New Wood Culture’ and securing the future of the craft.

• Maurice Pyle @mauricewoodsmith – With a background in outdoor education and personal development, Maurice has dedicated his career to connecting people with nature through green woodworking. He honed his expertise alongside iconic craftspeople like coppice merchant Bill Hogarth, later founding Woodsmith to deliver community woodcraft courses and supply high-quality specialist tools.

• Lorna Singleton @lornaweavesoak – A master coppice worker and basket maker specialising in oak spelk baskets and hazel basketry, Lorna is a graduate of the Bill Hogarth Memorial Apprenticeship Scheme. Dedicated to passing on heritage skills and ensuring that woodlands are valued, Lorna’s work is regularly exhibited and she teaches throughout the country.

This new award celebrates those in the first five years of their professional practice who are breathing new life into freshly cut wood, be that bodging and chair making, pole lathe turning, bowl and spoon carving, timber framing, hurdle making, shingle making, split wood basketry… or others.

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 building crafts, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings 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-green-woodworker-of-the-year-award/

📷 Sharif Adams by @suzybennett.photography / @dartmoor.artisans

✨ Nominations are OPEN for the 2026 Heritage Crafts Awards! ✨

For the fourteenth year, Heritage Crafts is celebrating the incredible master craftspeople, emerging makers, and unsung heroes keeping the UK’s traditional living crafts alive. 🛠️🧵

These awards celebrate the extraordinary talent across the UK, from silversmiths and weavers, to stained glass makers and upholsterers and beyond – who work with their hands, heads and hearts to preserve our cultural legacy.

🏆 With 22 categories and prizes include:
• Patron’s Award for Endangered Crafts: £5,000 award (£1,000 for runner-up) for safeguarding at-risk skills as per the Red List of Endangered Crafts
• National Makers of the Year: Regional awards up to £2,000
• Emerging Makers: £1,000 prizes for early-career practitioners (new categories announced!)
• Backbone of the craft: Celebrating top Trainers, Trainees, Community Catalysts and Lifetime Achievers

📝 Key Info:
• All via a single online form.
• Finalists will be invited to a high-profile Winners’ Reception at Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, this November in partnership with @thegoldsmithscompany

⏳ Deadline: Friday 21 August, at 5pm

🔗 Nominate someone (or yourself!) today: Head to the Heritage Crafts website to apply via the linktr.ee in our bio, https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/opportunities/awards/ or the ‘Opportunities’ section of the Heritage Crafts website.

Help shine a spotlight on the makers who define our culture. Our enormous gratitude to our generous sponsors who make this possible.

The awards are presented in partnership with supporters the @kingcharlesfund, @royalmintuk, the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, @thegoldsmithscompany, @costume_society, @marshawards, @theleathersellers, the Broderers’ Company, @SPAB1877, @bsmgp, @woodsmith_uk, @sonnaz_, @roseuniacke, @hiutdenim and @mournetextiles

#HeritageCrafts #HeritageCraftsAwards #UKMakers #TraditionalCrafts #CraftAwards