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We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Community Catalyst of the Year Award supported by @marshawards. 💪

• Lauren Broxton @lauren_broxton – award-winning leatherworker, designer and community leader, Lauren won the Community Catalyst of the Year Award in 2025. She operates from her studio in Walsall’s historic leather district, where she works to reconnect local people with the town’s rich industrial heritage. Lauren works extensively with schools, youth clubs and marginalised groups, providing accessible hands-on workshops in leather crafting that boost wellbeing, combat social isolation and foster pride in regional identity.

• Jeanette Sloan BEM @jeanettesloan – renowned textile designer, author and diversity advocate with over three decades of experience in the craft sector, Jeanette trained at Brighton Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art. She launched the BIPOC in Fibre initiative to increase the visibility, representation and financial support of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour working in the fibre arts industry, and was awarded a BEM in 2023 for services to hand knitting and diversity.

• Marsh Charitable Trust – founded in 1981 by its current Chairman Brian Marsh OBE, the Trust supports over 500 charities every year through its grants and awards programmes, celebrating the outstanding contributions of people committed to social, cultural and environmental causes.

Community catalysts are those who go above-and-beyond to promote the benefits of craft within their community, whether that be a local community or a community of interest. Typically, they will be committed to widening participation, and their way of working will create a groundswell of enthusiasm that brings others along with them.

There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November.

📅 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/community-catalyst-of-the-year/

📷 2025 finalist Razwan Ul-Haq

On the BBC News website yesterday: ‘Meet the people keeping endangered skills alive’

“[M]any traditional crafts are now on the brink of extinction, as advances in technology render them obsolete and valuable knowledge fades into the past.”

But with our help and growing public awareness these crafts have an exciting future! Support us by becoming a member or making a donation.

Featuring @theletterpresscollective @artfulcharlie @cotswold_dry_stone @tworiverspaper

Read the full article at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0vvyzp7g5o or via the linktr.ee in our bio.

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Trainer of the Year Award supported by @marshawards. 🛠️

• Sarah Cant @sarahcantmillinery – acclaimed couture milliner, author and educator with over two decades of teaching experience across all skill levels, Sarah originally trained at Kensington and Chelsea College. Since leading the world-renowned HNC in Millinery at Morley College, she currently serves as a lead tutor on The CHANEL and King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship. Sarah was named Heritage Crafts Trainer of the Year in 2025.

• Delyth Done MBE @del.done – Delyth is Head of the School of Materials and Design at Hereford College of Arts and Course Leader for the BA and MA blacksmithing programmes. Widely regarded as a global leader in craft education, Delyth has transformed training standards over the past decade, ensuring graduates are sought after by master blacksmiths worldwide. She was awarded the MBE in 2023 for services to blacksmithing and heritage crafts.

• Marsh Charitable Trust – founded in 1981 by its current Chairman Brian Marsh OBE, the Trust supports over 500 charities every year through its grants and awards programmes, celebrating the outstanding contributions of people committed to social, cultural and environmental causes.

This award celebrates the incredible individuals who dedicate their time to training the next generation of UK makers. We are looking for anyone who shares their expertise, including those running everything from beginner taster sessions to professional traineeships and apprenticeships.

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/

📷 2024 winner Emma Brackenbury

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Fashion Textile Maker of the Year Award supported by the @costume_society.💃🕺

• Harris Elliott OBE @harriselliottstudio – internationally renowned creative director, stylist and curator, Harris seamlessly merges spatial design with material culture, fashion and subcultural storytelling. Famous for styling iconic musicians like Blur and Gorillaz, he collaborates with artisan communities across the African diaspora through his creative platform Le Tings, elevating traditional craftsmanship onto global stages.

• Rachel Frost @rachelfrosthatter – award-winning Scottish hatmaker, historian and 2025 winner of the Fashion and Textile Maker of the Year Award, Rachel is currently the only artisan in Europe hand-felting hats using a traditional 18th-century ‘hatter’s bow’ – an extinct craft technique she single-handedly revived. Her sustainable practice incorporates naturally dyed, handspun wool and foraged plant fibres to create bespoke pieces for stage, screen and global museum collections.

• Professor Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas @fashionnatascha – Vice Chair of the Costume Society and Professor of Marketing and Sustainable Fashion at Ravensbourne University London, Natascha’s extensive cross-disciplinary research focuses on sustainable business models, ethical supply chains and international craft heritage. A prominent media commentator and author, she champions responsible design and social responsibility within global fashion.

Whether a costume maker, dressmaker, tailor, pattern cutter, hat maker, milliner, or weaver of fabrics specifically for fashion garments, we want to celebrate a maker’s dedication to excellence. From glovemaking to corset making… if the work is exceptional, it belongs in the spotlight.

There is a £2,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November.

📅 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/fashion-textile-maker-of-the-year/

📷 Alis Le May

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Emerging Embroiderer of the Year Award supported by the Broderers’ Company. This award celebrates the talent, patience, and intricate skill of those at the beginning of their professional journey. 🪡🧵

• Sophie Boylan @soyasophie – textile artist, embroidery designer and 2025 winner of the Emerging Embroiderer of the Year Award, Sophie trained at the London College of Fashion, Royal College of Art, and CHANEL / King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Fellowship. Her groundbreaking practice blends heritage hand-stitching with plant-based agar, cellulose and recycled organic embellishments to replace toxic plastic sequins.

• Hanny Newton @hannynewton – internationally renowned hand embroiderer Hanny trained at the Royal School of Needlework and Falmouth University. Specialising in contemporary goldwork, Hanny is celebrated for pushing the boundaries of traditional metal thread techniques into abstract, expressive art. Since 2024, she has been pioneering research into using raw straw as a sustainable alternative to gold thread.

• Niamh Wimperis @wimperisembroidery – embroidery artist, author and full-time maker, niamh is known for her distinctive botanical-inspired designs and feminist artwork, and gained widespread recognition as a contestant on BBC2’s The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts. Through her business, Wimperis Embroidery, she produces popular beginner-friendly subscription kits and workshops designed to make the therapeutic art of stitching accessible to all.

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 weaving and upholstery, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by Rose Uniacke, House of Sonnaz 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-embroiderer-of-the-year/

📷 2025 finalist Alice Long @alicelong.studio