Training bursaries

Heritage Crafts is delighted to have awarded 81 training bursaries for trainees to learn heritage craft skills since 2021, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, The Royal Mint, the Leathersellers’ Foundation, the City & Guilds Foundation, the William Grant Foundation, the Costume Society, the Army Benevolent Fund, the Ashley Family Foundation, the Royal British Legion, the British Leather Industry Development Trust, the Cordwainers’ Company, the Principality Building Society’s Future Generations Fund, the Golsoncott Foundation, the Arts Society, DCA Consulting, the Newby Trust, the Society of Scribes & Illuminators, the International Guild of Knot Tyers, the Anthony and Elizabeth Mellows Charitable Settlement, the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars, Soane Britain, Kendrick Hobbs, Jennifer Chen and Malcolm and Rosalind Gammie.

• Ayham Aldoghim, from Bristol, to travel the UK to learn from experts in lime plastering.
• William Appleby, from Cornwall, to train with Sheffield-based Warren Martin in the craft of silver spinning.
• Richard Barber, from Preston, to train with renowned jewellery maker Robin Girling in all aspects of stone setting in silver, gold and platinum.
• Caius Bearder, from Glasgow, to train in silver spinning with Sheffield-based Warren Martin.
• Saul Beardsley, from Northumberland, to train one-to-one in blacksmithing with Alex Sowdon at Hammer and Hound Forge.
• Logan Beckford-China, aged 16 from Cornwall, to undertake 40 days Cornish hedging training with the newly-formed Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust.
• Marcia Bennett Male, sculptor from London, to train in portrait work, specifically how to use a traditional pointing machine for reproducing likenesses from a clay maquette.
• Amanda Boachie, from London, to take four bookbinding courses at CityLit and undertake one-to-one training with Piotr Jarosz.
• Mia Brennan, from Kent, to attend the BTEC Higher National Certificate in Millinery at Morley College on a part-time basis.
• Chanelle Brown, from East London, to train one-to-one with Mick Hanbury at Hope Woodturning.
• Sacha Chandisingh, from Brighton, to train one-to-one in tutu making with Federica Romano and take a short course at Hand & Lock.
• Isabella Cobby, from West Sussex, to train in production men’s hat making with Sue Crowle and Tyler Miller.
• Michael Dickson, aged 18 from Hertfordshire, to study a Foundation Degree in Clocks at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation.
• Rosie Elwood, from Tyneside, to train in metal thread embroidery with goldwork embroiderer Hanny Newton and the Royal School of Needlework.
• Roy Evans, metalsmith from Gloucestershire, to develop his coppersmithing skills at Newlyn Copperworks.
• Leon Fairbrother, from Leicestershire, to work alongside a local skilled dry stone waller and achieve the Dry Stone Walling Association Level 3 certification.
• Andrew Fisher, leatherworker from Buckinghamshire, to attend courses on leather restoration and repair, seat upholstery and industrial sewing machine repair.
• Elena Fleury-Rojo, from Essex, to train in scientific glassblowing with Brian Jones at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland.
• Roisin Gearty, from London, to undertake a year of one-to-one training in jewellery making and silversmithing with master craftspeople Paul and Tomiko Ravn.
• Felix Gillies Creasey, from Cornwall, to train in rigging with shipwrights Huw Jackson and Spike Davies, focusing on creating a new traditional rig for a 1901 Cornish Lugger.
• Hannah Girvan, from Devon, to undertake a one-to-one apprenticeship in furniture making at Woodlab.
• Andreia Gomes, from London, to train at the VS Jewellery School in Hatton Garden, focusing on stone setting and mounting, and casting using the lost wax method.
• Megan Graham, from Belfast, to train in advanced pattern cutting and product development under the guidance of pattern cutter and dress maker Manuel Vadillo.
• Abby Gray, from Glasgow, to undertake an apprenticeship with renowned tailor and dressmaker Alis Le May.
• Iona Hall, from Bristol, to train in silver box making with Kent-based silversmith Ray Walton.
• Horatio Hawes, from Nottinghamshire, to extend his internship at Lancaster Armouries, with one-to-one training from master armourer Matthew Finchen.
• Annie Higgins, from Birmingham, to develop skills in silver raising, fabrication and non-ferrous TIG welding with Loewe Craft Prize finalist Kevin Gray.
• Jo Hills, from Berwickshire, to train in millinery with Sally Ann Provan in Edinburgh and Jenny Roberts in Harrogate.
• Kate Holmes, from London, to complete her Historic Carving degree at City & Guilds of London Art School, carving a life-size female form for her final project.
• Maya Howes, from Staffordshire, to attend the Corsetry Retreat in Lincolnshire to learn 18th century stay making, as well to gain additional one-to-one tuition.
• Nicola James, from Birmingham, to attend courses at the School of Master Jewellers, Stirchley School of Jewellery, and the British Academy of Jewellery.
• Eleni Kai, from Norwich, to train in hand-welted shoe making with bespoke shoemaker Jim McCormack.
• Nkosi Kerr, from London, to complete a Level 3 Bench Joinery course at the Building Crafts College, setting himself up to make significant progress in his carpentry career.
• Bodhi King, from Pembrokeshire, to undertake a number of specialised courses focusing on traditional and heritage blacksmithing.
• Oliver Kinge, from Wiltshire, to train one-to-one with blacksmith Melissa Cole.
• Joseph Lancaster, from East Sussex, to train in lime plastering at Ty-Mawr Lime and Carrington Lime.
• Toben Lewis, from the remote community of Iona, to study bookbinding one-to-one with 2018 Heritage Crafts Trainer of the Year Kathy Abbott.
• Ziyaad Lorgat, from Leicester, to train in bookbinding with 2023 Heritage Crafts Trainer of the Year Tom McEwan and others.
• Hannah Macfarlane, from the Scottish Highlands, to build on her new kiltmaking practice with dedicated one-to-one training with a master kiltmaker in her area.
• Michelle Mateo, basket maker from Monmouth, to train in split wood basketry and expand her repertoire from ask to hazel and oak splint basketry.
• Daahir Mohamed, lime plasterer from Bristol, to undertake six-month Fellowship with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
• Exauce Mondo, from London, to train in fashion pattern cutting and garment construction with Susan Backhouse.
• Claire Mooney, from Newry, Northern Ireland, to train in silver spinning with Sheffield-based Warren Martin.
• Barney Murray, from Denbighshire, to undertake the Dry Stone Walling Association’s Master Craftsman certification scheme, under the mentorship of Andy Loudon.
• Rebecca Oldfield, from South Wales, to train in silver chasing and repoussé with master silversmith Ray Walton.
• Alison Pascoe, from Belfast, to study passementerie and braiding with Elizabeth Ashdown, Julie Hedges and Jacqui Carey.
• Amar Patel, from London, to train in leather bag making with leatherworker Yusuf Osman.
• Leena Patel, from Edinburgh, to complete a one-year Foundation Course to provide an in-depth knowledge into the skills required to become a jewellery maker.
• Emily Perigaud, from Brighton, to complete her studies with Mark Romain MBE at the Saddlery Training Centre in Wiltshire.
• Rob Price, from Cumbria, to train in leather shoemaking from the Ottowin Shop in Bristol and Carreducker in London.
• Katie Raithby-Veall, from Lincolnshire, to undertake a punch needle certification course to enhance and deepen her skills, as well as learn the craft of spinning.
• Ryan Rix, from Swansea, to train in bespoke tailoring at the Tailoring Academy in Macclesfield, before securing a job in high-end fashion, theatre or film.
• Cai Gwilym Roberts, from Powys, to train one-to-one with master blacksmith Spike Blackhurst.
• Gareth Roberts, from West Sussex, to further his bookbinding training with Bound by Veterans and City Lit College.
• Kate Robertson, from the Scottish Borders, to train in sporran making with Nigel Armitage in Staffordshire.
• Lesley Romano, from Swansea, to train in calligraphy and illumination with three Fellows of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators.
• Emma-Jane Rule, from Leicester, to train in silver box making with Kent-based silversmith Ray Walton.
• Celina Sawicka, from Leicestershire, to attend pottery classes at Coombe Farm Studios and Whichford Pottery.
• Katie Sawyer, from Cheshire, to train one-to-one with historical textile expert Sally Pointer, as well as various courses at the Manchester School of Costume.
• Jamie Smith, from Argyll and Bute, to attend the International Boatbuilding Training College in Lowestoft.
• Lily Smith, from Dundee, to train with Sheffield-based Warren Martin in the craft of silver spinning.
• Johnette’ Taylor, from London, to train in traditional leatherworking skills from April Mai, with the aim of developing a thoughtfully designed collection of leather travel bags.
• Lily Thomas, from Powys, to train on a one-to-one basis with renowned silversmith Rauni Higson.
• Devin Valentine, from Southampton, to continue studying the Musical Instruments FdA at West Dean College.
• Marcia Vidal, from London, to train one-to-one in silversmithing with Russell Lownsbrough and Charlotte Desyllas.
• Elliot Walker, from West Midlands, to learn mouth-blown flat glass making with Fremont Antique Glass and Monarch Glass Studio in the United States.
• Cameron Wallace, from Clackmannanshire, to learn hand lettercutting with master lettercutter Gillian Forbes.
• Leo White, from Oxfordshire, to study at Rycotewood Furniture in Oxford, where he will incorporate straw marquetry into his furniture.
• Tilly Whitehouse, from Walsall, to train in various jewellery making and stone setting techniques at the School of Master Jewellers, the JQ Set, the Stirchley School of Jewellery, the Quarter Workshop and the Jewellers Academy.
• Ieuan Williamson, from Gwynedd, to expand his skills into timber framing through an intensive two-week residential course.
• Tim Wills, from Devon, to train in the endangered craft of Cornish hedging with the Cornish Rural Education and Skills Trust.
• Michelle Wong, from London, to train in leatherworking from master craftsman Nigel Armitage, including bag construction, wet moulding, leather marquetry and box stitching.
• Tobias Wright, from Norwich, to train on the Stonemasonry Heritage Course at the Building Crafts College in London.