About
the national charity for heritage crafts
What we do
Heritage Crafts is the national charity for traditional heritage crafts. Working in partnership with Government and key agencies, we provide a focus for craftspeople, groups, societies and guilds, as well as individuals who care about the loss of traditional crafts skills, and work towards a healthy and sustainable framework for the future.
We are a UNESCO accredited NGO for Intangible Cultural Heritage and an official Community Support Hub for the UK Governments’ Living Heritage in the UK inventory, having advocated for UK ratification of the UNESCO Convention of the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010.
Our Mission
To support and promote heritage crafts as a fundamental part of our living heritage.
We do this through:
- Knowledge – researching the status of heritage crafts and identifying those crafts in decline or in imminent danger of being lost.
- Advocacy – communicating the vital importance of heritage craft skills to the public, Government, key agencies and organisations.
- Safeguarding – ensuring that the highest standard of heritage craft skills are passed from one generation to the next and are recorded for posterity where necessary.
- Support – supporting heritage craftspeople to continue to practice, nurture and pass on their craft.
- Engagement – actively raising awareness and interest in heritage craft skills with the wider public and offering opportunities to engage.
Our Values
Equity and inclusivity
Removing barriers to participation and fostering appreciation of heritage crafts across diverse communities
Credibility and authority
Reflecting the extensive expertise of our heritage craft communities
Collaboration and cooperation
Facilitating connection between makers, supporters and partner organisations
Sustainability and stewardship
Being mindful of the cultural, social, economic and environmental impacts of heritage crafts
Integrity and honesty
Operating openly, accountably and fairly
Continual learning and development
Safeguarding heritage skills by adapting to changing social, cultural and economic contexts
Craft inspiration direct to your inbox
Become a Heritage Crafts Fan and receive a free monthly newsletter about craft announcements, events and opportunities.
SubscribeFollow us on Instagram
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Sophie Buckingham @buckingham_sophie, from Cardiff, has a background in textile design, printmaking and community arts, combining creative practice with vitreous enamelling. Her bursary will fund bespoke one-to-one tuition in London with silversmith @jackyolivermetalwork, focusing on traditional metalworking, three-dimensional construction and fastening techniques.
Sophie’s bursary is supported by the Dulverton Trust.
Sophie said: “I’m so delighted to have secured this funding and to have the opportunity to join the Heritage Crafts Recipient Circle. This will enable me to undertake a series of one-to-one bespoke metalwork training with Jacky Oliver in her London studio. This funding will be a huge support and help me to build a sustainable craft practice that combines enamelling, silversmithing techniques and traditional metalworking in the craft sector.”
This September saw the presentation of the inaugural Lady Mayor’s Livery Apprentice Awards to celebrate twelve outstanding apprentices across the City’s historic Livery Companies, as part of her Heritage Crafts Taskforce.
Victor Perez-Alvarez @martin_alteman, watchmaker, was nominated by the @clockmakerscompany.
Victor started off teaching himself the basic skills of watch servicing, practising on simple watches with only a few components. Following the Clockmakers’ Company Advanced Apprenticeship over 18 months, he has learned to service complex watches with many interacting parts, and is now adept at correcting the distortion of balance springs and manufacturing individual replacement watch parts.
Congratulations to all the winners and to former Heritage Crafts Chair Patricia Lovett MBE and Richard Hefford-Hobbs for organising the awards.
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Gavin Roberts, from Somerset, is an army engineer transitioning to civilian employment who has completed six modules towards his historic building repair qualification. His bursary will fund four remaining @westdeancollege diploma modules covering lime plasters, slate and stone masonry, earthen mortars and wildlife management.
Gavin’s bursary is supported by the Royal British Legion.
Gavin said: “This funding will broaden my practical skills in traditional heritage crafts, including lime plasters and renders, stone and woodwork. As an engineer in heritage building maintenance, it will strengthen my ability to care for historic buildings using traditional methods, while providing an important stepping stone as I transition from the military into a new career in heritage conservation.”
This September saw the presentation of the inaugural Lady Mayor’s Livery Apprentice Awards to celebrate twelve outstanding apprentices across the City’s historic Livery Companies, as part of her Heritage Crafts Taskforce.
Kemi Ajose @kemi_19xx @morenikeji_textiles, textile artist, was nominated by the @haberdasherscompany.
Originally destined to be an athlete, Kemi uses knitwear and textiles to explore identity through colour, pattern and style. Inspired by West African textile traditions and contemporary British fashion, her clothes allow the wearer to express a hybrid identity. Sustainability is at the core of her design process, and all of her garments are handmade using locally-sourced deadstock yarns with zero-waste.
Congratulations to all the winners and to former Heritage Crafts Chair Patricia Lovett MBE and Richard Hefford-Hobbs for organising the awards.
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Rachel Jacobs @racheljacobsstudio, from London, has seven years of experience in library collections and is currently in her second year of the BA in Book and Paper Conservation at @cglartschool. Her bursary will support her tuition fees as she advances her training in historic bookbinding, tear repairs, pigment preparation and paper conservation.
Rachel’s bursary is funded by the Dulverton Trust.
Rachel said: “I’m really grateful to Heritage Crafts for supporting my practice in book and paper conservation and medieval illumination. This opportunity will allow me to focus on developing my craft and creating new work, and I’m really looking forward to being part of a community of craftspeople who are helping to keep traditional skills alive.”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Chiazam Saint Venit, from Croydon, has completed Level 1 Bespoke Tailoring at @newhamcollege alongside art and design foundation studies. His bursary will fund his tuition for a pattern making course and SEG Awards Level 3 Award in Tailoring at the @fashiontechnologyacademy, as well as the Bespoke Drafting at @thelondonacademyofbespoke, preparing him for a tailoring house apprenticeship.
Chiazam’s bursary is supported by the Capri Holdings Corporate Foundation.
Chiazam said: “Securing this funding is hugely impactful for me. It strengthens my ability to keep developing in my craft and consolidate my practice.”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Em Mount, from London, has a background in illustration and community kitchen management, currently completing the first year of a heritage masonry diploma. Their bursary will cover the remaining course fees for their second year of study in stonemasonry at the @buildingcraftscollege in London.
Em’s bursary is supported by the Newby Trust.
Em said: “The Heritage Crafts training bursary has enabled me to complete my final year studying heritage banker masonry. I can’t wait to continue learning and getting to work on such interesting pieces. Many thanks for the funding and to the team.”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Zane Palmer, from Luton, has five years of self-taught experience in jewellery fabrication, casting and CAD through his brand concept @33andco_. His bursary will fund a phased seven-day masterclass programme in micro-pavé, grain setting and advanced stone setting with master diamond setter John Daniels FIPG @diamondsetting4u.
Zane’s bursary is supported by the Capri Holdings Corporate Foundation.
Zane said: “Receiving the Heritage Crafts training bursary is the best news I’ve had all year and marks a true turning point for my career. In an industry where high-level stone setting is notoriously difficult to access, this funding could not have been timed better. It genuinely means the world to me – I feel I’ve finally been given the opportunity to learn directly from a master, refine my technical skills and prove what I can achieve. I am deeply grateful to Heritage Crafts and the Capri Holdings Corporate Foundation for investing in my future.”
