A voice for craft

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for our Wales Maker of the Year Award, supported by @hiutdenim. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

• Rauni Higson MBE @raunihigson – Based in a converted chapel in Snowdonia, Rauni is one of Britain’s foremost contemporary silversmiths. Her highly sculptural work, hammered by hand from sheet metal, is directly informed by the rugged North Wales coastline and mountain crags. A passionate advocate for heritage skills transmission, Rauni was awarded the MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours.

• Billie Ireland @billieirelandart – Based in Powys, Billie is an acclaimed artist, craftsperson and educator who explores the intersection of environmental science, sacred ecology and heritage craft. The 2025 winner of the Wales Maker of the Year Award, Billie was also the first artist-maker to create sculptures using a specialised Dartmoor Dragon Retort.

• Sarah James MBE @craftfestival – Cardigan-born Sarah James MBE has dedicated over two decades to championing independent makers and celebrating the joy of making. Since founding the highly acclaimed Craft Festival in 2004, she has built it into one of the UK’s premier craft events, expanding to include a dedicated festival at Cardigan Castle to showcase exceptional Welsh craftsmanship.

• Johann von Loeper @hiutdenim – As Chief Executive of the Cardigan-based Hiut Denim Co, Johann is dedicated to safeguarding and celebrating traditional manufacturing skills in a town historically known as Britain’s jeans capital. Under his leadership, the company employs local ‘Grand Masters’ to pass their precise texturing, cutting and sewing skills to the next generation of Welsh makers.

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/

📷 @annasticklandweaving by @dewitannattlloyd

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

We are incredibly proud to support veteran mouldmaker Mark Marchant @ceramicmouldsuk with a grant to establish a local, hands-on apprenticeship in Stoke-on-Trent.

With over twenty years of experience at Wedgwood, Mark is one of the few remaining master mouldmakers, blockers and casers working in the UK. Industrial pottery mouldmaking is critically endangered, and vital workshop knowledge risks being lost forever if it is not actively passed on.

This funding will act as a financial buffer to support the initial training of apprentice Olivia Azzopardi @azzo_artist. Olivia, a talented local multidisciplinary artist, will undergo structured, one-to-one training on live client projects. She will learn essential skills like plaster-to-water ratios, silicone casing, profile development and bench work protocols.

This project represents a vital step toward diversifying the pottery production floor, increasing regional workshop capacity and securing the survival of industrial pottery heritage.

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

Mark said: “Winning support from the Heritage Crafts Endangered Crafts Fund is an incredible milestone for my mouldmaking practice. This funding directly addresses the preservation of a critical heritage skill. By investing in the advancement of my apprentice, we are scaling up our workshop’s capabilities. This growth means we can open our doors wider, teaching and inspiring a brand-new generation of mouldmakers to keep this traditional craft alive and well. Thank you so much for believing in us and my vision for this vital craft I love so much.”

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Emerging Upholsterer of the Year Award, supported by @house_of_sonnaz. 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! 🛋️🪡🧵✂️🔨

• Delyth Fetherston-Dilke @delythfd – Formerly a lawyer for Warner Bros, Delyth runs a specialist upholstery business focused on traditional skills and natural fibres. A board member of the Association of Master Upholsterers, she recently channelled her legal expertise into campaigning against the health and environmental impacts of chemical flame retardants in the UK furniture industry.

• Sonnaz Nooranvary @sonnaz_ – An award-winning master upholsterer, entrepreneur and well-known public face of British craft, Sonnaz has famously appeared as a resident expert on BBC’s The Repair Shop. Having started her career with a prestigious upholstery apprenticeship at Sunseeker Yachts, she went on to found her own successful design and restoration company.

• Nadya Webster @whitebarnupholstery – A former journalist and communications specialist, Nadya Webster completed a professional upholstery diploma and now specialises in the painstaking restoration of challenging antique chairs. She won the Emerging Upholsterer of the Year Award in 2025, and is a passionate educator, using public demonstrations and social media to champion the craft while expanding her own skills.

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 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/

📷 2025 finalist Lara Birley @pucciupholstery

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

Full-time broom and brush maker Rosa Harradine @rosaharradine, from Sheffield, has been supported to purchase an antique broom stitching machine.

Rosa creates beautiful, functional, plastic-free brooms and brushes using traditional techniques. However, hand-stitching brooms is incredibly slow and puts a massive physical strain on the maker’s body, which limits production capacity and long-term business sustainability. This century-old Lipe & Walrath stitching machine will work alongside Rosa’s foot-powered kickwinder to make her production process faster and more efficient.

The increased efficiency will finally make wholesale production viable, allowing her to meet growing demand from shops and galleries. Rosa hopes to grow her practice to employ and train a small team, ensuring this wonderful, sustainable craft continues to thrive in the UK.

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

Rosa said: “I’m delighted to receive this support from Heritage Crafts. It gives me the opportunity to invest in a rare piece of historic equipment that will make my craft practice more sustainable for years to come.”

📷 Heather Birnie

#matchMAKER opportunity!

Furniture Restoration Trainee / Delivery Technician

Location: Hertfordshire

This is a unique opportunity to work across two highly respected sister companies. Kendals Restoration is dedicated to the high-end restoration of fine antique and modern furniture. Hamilton Billiards specialises in manufacturing, restoring, and installing bespoke snooker and pool tables.

This dual-focused role offers the rare chance to learn a traditional craft from master restorers while also representing their brands directly to clients. Your week will be split between hands-on craftsmanship in the workshop and on-the-road deliveries and installations.

• Learn and apply traditional furniture restoration techniques under the guidance of a master restorer.
• Assist in building and preparing new snooker/billiard tables and bespoke wooden items.
• Assemble snooker tables in the workshop for photography or during the restoration process.
• Travel nationwide to assist in the precise assembly and installation of snooker tables in clients’ homes.

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.

We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for our inaugural Emerging Stained Glass Maker of the Year Award, supported by the British Society of Master Glass Painters @bsmgp. 🎨🌈

• Tamsin Abbott @tamsintheshed – Deeply influenced by the British landscape, folklore and the cycles of nature, Tamsin’s work blends the gentle joy of the everyday with spiritual myths. Her internationally collected pieces have been featured twice on BBC’s Countryfile and in numerous national publications. In 2025, she collaborated with Jackie Morris’s on the book Wild Folk.

• Mark Bambrough – a highly respected glass painter, craftsperson and accredited conservator-restorer, Mark completed a traditional apprenticeship and honed his skills in medieval glass at York Minster and Lincoln Cathedral. He now leads the Scottish Glass Studio in Glasgow, pioneering protective glazing systems that preserve the visual connection between glass and historic architecture.

• Derek Hunt @derekhuntartist – With a career spanning nearly 40 years, Derek studied at Edinburgh Art College under Sax Shaw and Douglas Hogg. From his Leicestershire studio, he balances new architectural commissions with heritage conservation. He is a passionate educator, teaching masterclasses at Ely Cathedral’s Stained Glass Museum and building a major online educational community via YouTube.

This award shines a spotlight on the next generation of talent pioneering this luminous heritage craft. This includes practitioners in stained glass window making, traditional glass painting, and stained glass conservation and repair.

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-stained-glass-maker-of-the-year-award/

📷 Lizzy Hippisley-Cox @edenstainedglass

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

Aaron Wright @wrightsheritageglaziers, from Norfolk, has secured an Endangered Crafts Fund grant to support high-quality apprentice training in historic stained glass conservation.

Stained glass conservation is a highly demanding, intricate discipline that faces a critical skills gap as experienced practitioners approach retirement. Funding is a major barrier for small independent studios trying to train new talent, as the cumulative costs of wages, travel and statutory fees are incredibly high.

This grant will cover the costs of enrolling Aaron’s apprentice Josh onto the Stained Glass Apprenticeship at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Aaron, who is in the final stages of his own ICON Accreditation @conservators_uk, is fully funding Josh’s living wage, travel and accommodation to provide a stable, supportive environment. Through structured mentoring on live commissions, this project sets a brilliant example of sustainable, fair-wage training in the heritage craft sector.

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

Aaron said: “We are incredibly honoured to receive this support from Heritage Crafts. As a newly established conservation studio, the funding represents far more than financial assistance; it is a vote of confidence in our vision to preserve traditional stained glass craftsmanship and invest in the next generation of heritage conservators. It will help us continue delivering high-quality conservation while ensuring these specialist skills remain part of the UK’s living heritage. We are sincerely grateful to Heritage Crafts for helping make that possible.”