About
the national charity for heritage crafts
What we do
Heritage Crafts is the national charity for traditional heritage crafts. Working in partnership with Government and key agencies, we provide a focus for craftspeople, groups, societies and guilds, as well as individuals who care about the loss of traditional crafts skills, and work towards a healthy and sustainable framework for the future.
We are a UNESCO accredited NGO for Intangible Cultural Heritage and an official Community Support Hub for the UK Governments’ Living Heritage in the UK inventory, having advocated for UK ratification of the UNESCO Convention of the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010.
Our Mission
To support and promote heritage crafts as a fundamental part of our living heritage.
We do this through:
- Knowledge – researching the status of heritage crafts and identifying those crafts in decline or in imminent danger of being lost.
- Advocacy – communicating the vital importance of heritage craft skills to the public, Government, key agencies and organisations.
- Safeguarding – ensuring that the highest standard of heritage craft skills are passed from one generation to the next and are recorded for posterity where necessary.
- Support – supporting heritage craftspeople to continue to practice, nurture and pass on their craft.
- Engagement – actively raising awareness and interest in heritage craft skills with the wider public and offering opportunities to engage.
Our Values
Equity and inclusivity
Removing barriers to participation and fostering appreciation of heritage crafts across diverse communities
Credibility and authority
Reflecting the extensive expertise of our heritage craft communities
Collaboration and cooperation
Facilitating connection between makers, supporters and partner organisations
Sustainability and stewardship
Being mindful of the cultural, social, economic and environmental impacts of heritage crafts
Integrity and honesty
Operating openly, accountably and fairly
Continual learning and development
Safeguarding heritage skills by adapting to changing social, cultural and economic contexts
Craft inspiration direct to your inbox
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This week’s #mondaymaker is Debbie Randall @ceramicsdr – ceramics maker.
Debbie graduated from Camberwell College of Arts in 1998 and has been passionately engaged in wheel-thrown ceramics ever since.
Her work, crafted from porcelain and smooth white stoneware, draws inspiration from the classic forms of Korea, China and Japan. In addition to creating one-of-a-kind sculptural pieces, she has collaborated on tableware commissions for both restaurants and private clients.
Additionally, Debbie offers personalised one-on-one throwing lessons for those interested in developing their skills.
View Debbie’s full profile on our Makers’ Directory: https://www.instagram.com/ceramicsdr/
#heritagecrafts #mondaymaker #ceramics #pottery
It takes a special eye and a skilled hand to breathe new life into furniture, and we want to celebrate the next generation of talent doing exactly that! Nominations are now OPEN for the Emerging Upholsterer of the Year Award 2026, supported by @house_of_sonnaz. 🛋️🪡🧵✂️🔨
✨ 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 upholstery career. We are looking for a maker who:
• Demonstrates a high level of technical skill.
• Raises the profile of upholstery 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 weaving and embroidery, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by Rose Uniacke, 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-upholsterer-of-the-year/
#heritagecrafts #upholstery #softfurnishing #modernupholstery #traditionalcraft @sonnaz_
Have you been watching this series of BBC Repair Shop on the Road? Presented by Heritage Crafts Ambassador @williamkirkrestoration along with @dominicchinea and the rest of the team (including Heritage Crafts Trustee and scissor maker Jonathan Reid), the series has featured Heritage Crafts members @fantheglorywithtori, @buddyollie, @juliegurrwillowweaver, @themarchmontworkshop, @dockyard.chatham and more!
Catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Are you (or is someone you know) the future of heritage crafts? The Heritage Crafts Trainee of the Year Award, supported by @marshawards, is now open for nominations!
Traditional skills only survive if we have dedicated people willing to learn them. Whatever craft you are learning, we want to celebrate your journey.
🔍 Who can be nominated?
Nominees could be on a formal apprenticeship scheme, a less formal traineeship, an institution-based course with a high degree of practical training, or even be pursuing ‘portfolio-style’ training comprising of short-courses and workshops, as long as training has formed a significant part of at least twelve months prior to applying.
🏆 The Prize
The winner will receive a £1,000 prize and will be celebrated at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November 2026. Plus, we will award a Trainer of the Year Award for the best craft teacher, 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/trainee-of-the-year/. Let’s make sure these vital skills continue to inspire and thrive! 🧶🏺🔨
📷 2025 winner @ash.appadu with trainer @buddyollie
#heritagecrafts #crafttraining #crafttrainee #craftapprentice #craftskills
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Timber Frame Site Crew
Location: Hereford
Deadline: 20 June 2026
As part of the Site Crew at Oakwrights, you’ll be hands-on in bringing exceptional timber buildings to life on sites across the UK. Working in small, highly-skilled teams, you’ll help erect beautiful green oak frames alongside modern softwood timber frame systems, including its award winning, pre-insulated panel systems.
You’ll travel to a mix of local and national sites, working closely with your foreman and teammates to assemble structures safely, accurately and efficiently. Every day is practical and varied, reading drawings, setting out, lifting and fixing structural elements, and solving challenges as they arise. You’ll take real pride in delivering high-quality workmanship that reflects Oakwrights’ reputation for excellence.
This role suits people who enjoy working outdoors, value teamwork, and are motivated to keep learning. For the right candidates, Oakwrights offer trainee opportunities, with training and support to help you grow within the team.
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.
Green woodworking is one of our most ancient and sustainable traditions, and we are looking for the next generation of talent to lead it into the future. Nominations are now OPEN for our new Emerging Green Woodworker of the Year Award supported by @woodsmith_uk! 🪓🌳🪵
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.
We are looking for early-career practitioners who demonstrate a high level of skill and a dedication to sharing their craft. We want to recognise those who have made an outstanding start to their career, perhaps overcoming setbacks along the way to ensure long-term success.
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/
📷 2025 England Maker of the Year finalist Flo Hamer @flohamer
#heritagecrafts #greenwoodworking #spooncarving #polelathe #timberframing
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
