Wendy Shorter Blake MBE, upholsterer

In 2020 Wendy Shorter-Blake was awarded the MBE for services to upholstery and heritage crafts, following a nomination by Heritage Crafts.

Wendy, from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, is not only a highly skilled craftswoman herself but she has devoted her life to ensuring that the skills of upholstery are passed on. Over the last 13 years she has set up a multi-award winning training centre providing the very best possible standards of teaching based on her meticulous research of traditional techniques and the history of furniture. Wendy has also worked closely with the charity Fine Cell Work which offers craft training within prison and ongoing support and training for ex-offenders. In 2020 she will become the third female Master of the Worshipful Company of Upholders.