Heritage Crafts Awards

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

Elena Fleury-Rojo @redflowerglass, from Essex, has been funded 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.

Elena’s training bursary helped her mastered core techniques such as working with borosilicate tubing and constructing complex laboratory apparatus. However, to truly consolidate these highly specialised skills and make them commercially viable, continuous practice is vital.

Having the correct tools in-house will enable Elena to manufacture and repair scientific glassware for laboratories and schools, keeping this critical heritage skill alive. Alongside her making, Elena is actively raising awareness for the sector, having recently organised an exhibition at the Stourbridge Glass Museum highlighting endangered glassmaking crafts.

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

Elena said: “Receiving this funding means so much to me. It gives me the opportunity to build on my Heritage Crafts training bursary, continue developing my scientific glassblowing skills and play my part in safeguarding this endangered craft for future generations.”

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Precious Metalworker of the Year Award, supported by the @royalmintuk. 💍🪙🍴👑

• Stephen M Goldsmith @goldpolisher – internationally renowned master polisher, author and Precious Metalworker of the Year Award winner 2025, Stephen has over fifty years of experience polishing some of the world’s most iconic treasures. A Fellow of the Institute of Professional Goldsmiths, he is a passionate educator who delivers masterclasses, mentors apprentices and advocates for endangered skills.

• Leighton John – Director of Operations at The Royal Mint, Leighton oversees the manufacturing processes that produce Britain’s official coinage, commemorative medals and bullion. Joining the organisation in 2011, Leighton has played a pivotal role in modernising minting operations while upholding centuries of precious metal traditions.

• Dan Thomas – holding the historic appointment of King’s Assay Master, Dan continues a continuous lineage of quality assurance dating back to the twelfth century. A highly skilled metallurgist, Dan is responsible for verifying the purity and composition of all precious metals used in UK coinage and trial collections through rigorous chemical analysis and traditional assay methods.

Whether a silversmith, jewellery maker, gilder, hand engraver, medal maker, concert flute maker, we want to celebrate their dedication to excellence. From silver spinning and polishing to engine turning and concert flute making… if the work is exceptional, it belongs in the spotlight. Help us honour the makers who keep these incredible traditions alive.

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/precious-metalworker-of-the-year/

📷 2025 finalist Angela Cork

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award supported by @marshawards. 🧶✂️🪚

• Dr Tanya Harrod MBE – one of the UK’s premier craft historians, art critics and authors, Tanya was educated at Oxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art. Her groundbreaking 1999 book ‘The Crafts in Britain in the 20th Century’ established the definitive academic framework for modern British studio craft. Tanya has spent four decades documenting craft history and curating major exhibitions.

• Jim McCormack @jims_shoeworkshop – a master bespoke shoemaker with over forty years of experience in high-end shoemaking, Jim has worked with prestigious West End houses like Lobb and Foster & Son before operating as an independent master craftsman, creating fully hand-stitched, bespoke footwear. Winner of the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, Jim is deeply committed to passing on hisskills, having trained numerous apprentices and delivered international masterclasses.

• 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.

Do you know a master craftsperson whose dedication has stood the test of time? This award recognises a heritage craftsperson who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to their specific craft over 25 years or more. It celebrates a lifetime’s dedication to a particular traditional skill, resulting in a practitioner operating at the highest level, having made a significant impact on the continued high-esteem in which their craft is held.

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/lifetime-achievement-award/

📷 2024 finalist Kevin Gauld by Euan Myles

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

• Ash Appadu @ash.appadu – woodcarver, marionette maker and 2025 winner of the Heritage Crafts Trainee of the Year Award, Ash was trained in scenic arts, and went on to complete a master-led puppet making apprenticeship specialising in traditional wooden marionettes. Ash advocates for equitable entry routes into heritage crafts, drawing on personal experience to champion alternative learning pathways, apprenticeships and hands-on skill transmission.

• Jonathan Reid @jontmandaniel – scissor putter-togetherer and Trustee of Heritage Crafts, Jonathan is Production Manager at the historic Ernest Wright workshop in Sheffield. Over the past decade, he has played a pivotal role in the company, leading to a President’s Award for Endangered Crafts. He is deeply committed to vocational training, personally mentoring new apprentices and passing on precise, hand-tool skills to the next generation of putters.

• 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.

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.

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 Trainer of the Year Award for the best 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/

📷 2025 finalist Toby Britton-Watts

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

Caroline West @englishlacemaker, from Tyne and Wear, and the grassroots collective Lacemakers of Tomorrow, have been funded to launch a vital national mentorship programme for bobbin lace teachers.

Bobbin lace was added to the Heritage Crafts Red List in 2025. The single greatest threat to the craft is not a lack of public interest, but a rapidly shrinking and ageing pool of teachers. Many aspiring teachers want to pass on the craft but feel isolated, under-confident and unsure of how to structure their lessons.

This project directly tackles the bottleneck by pairing 15 aspiring teachers with highly experienced mentors for structured skill-sharing over six months. The grant provides a small honorarium to recognise the invaluable time and expertise of the mentors, many of whom are retired. Supported by peer-support sessions and a digital web platform, this initiative will preserve decades of teaching wisdom and build a confident, diverse network of lace instructors across the UK.

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

Caroline said: “Being awarded this funding is an exciting opportunity for the UK lacemaking community. It will enable our most experienced and skilled lacemakers and teachers to mentor and support the lace teachers and specialists of tomorrow, helping to secure the future of bobbin lace for generations to come.”

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