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
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We are profiling the recipients of our latest round of Endangered Crafts Fund grants.
Mark Norris @marknorrisharps, from the Scottish Borders, has been funded to help open a school of harp making and develop a curriculum of tuition before the craft dies out in Scotland.
Mark’s grant is funded by the William Grant Foundation
Mark said: “From the start of my own musical instrument making apprenticeship in the late 1970s, and throughout 45 years of designing and making harps, I have enjoyed developing a great range of craft skills as a Scottish harp maker. My Heritage Crafts grant will help me greatly towards setting up a small Scottish School of Harp Making, so that I can pass on my accumulated knowledge and skills to the next generation of young Scottish harp makers.”
📷 Gwendoline Ricoul
This week’s #craftfocus is tailoring.
Tailoring is the cutting and sewing of cloth to make and alter clothing to fit an individual’s unique proportions.
Tailoring can be bespoke (creating a custom pattern specifically for a client), or made-to-measure (adjusting a pre-existing base pattern to suit a client’s measurements).
Techniques vary widely depending on the type of fabric used, but generally, tailoring involves moulding and shaping a garment to fit a body type and providing foundational support through interfacing and lining, alongside precise shaping techniques.
Finishings such as buttonholes and invisible hems can be incorporated to ensure a durable and polished appearance.
Tailoring is classified as viable on our Craft Inventory, but threats include changes to fashion trends, particularly since the 1970s towards more casual wear, significantly driving down demand for tailoring services. Ongoing skills development is needed to keep up with changing trends.
With an increased demand for sustainable and ethically sourced fabrics, tailors may struggle to find suppliers who meet this criteria. However, a steady interest in tailoring remains for those considering it an investment offering higher garment quality.
Images: Ryan Rix @ryanrixuk and Anne Fontenoy @artandthedress
#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #tailoring
A harmonised EU regulation for Geographical Indications (GIs) now applies to crafts for the first time, meaning groups of producers representing crafts relating to a particular region can apply to have their provenance protected within the EU, in a similar way that food and wine have previously been protected.
The new rules apply to Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework, but third countries such as the rest of the UK can also apply to have their provenance protected in the EU under this scheme.
We are running a free webinar led by Dr Anne Barrett of the UK @intellectualpropertyoffice at 1pm on Wednesday 28 January. Register via the linktr.ee in our bio.
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Trainee Rattan Weaver
Location: Leicester
Soane Britain`s mission is to design and make enduring and life-enhancing furniture, lighting, fabrics, and wallpapers, by working with a network of the finest craftspeople in Britain to preserve traditional skills for future generations.
Located in Thurmaston, Leicester, Soane Britain owns the only rattan weaving workshop in Britain, creating bespoke, high quality furniture and lighting using timber, cane and rattan. Due to the demand for rattan furniture, Soane are now recruiting a trainee rattan weaver who is interested in starting a long-term career with them.
Working closely with the Operations Manager and Senior Weavers, you will be responsible for wrapping and weaving furniture and frames ready for finishing. After receiving full on the job training, you will be responsible for completing your work on time, to the allocated hours per job, to specification and to the highest quality. You will also assist in any ad hoc workshop tasks as necessary.
Due to the nature of the small team at Leicester, the role will require a can-do attitude and the candidate must not be afraid to get stuck in with the task at hand, be enthusiastic and self-motivated. This role is suitable for someone with an eye for detail and the ability to achieve the excellent standards for which Soane Britain is well known.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
This week’s #mondaymaker is Debbie McCann @weeyarndesigns – a Dorset button maker.
Debbie graduated from Ulster University, Belfast, where she studied Fashion & Textile Design, specialising in Constructed Textiles. First discovering the Dorset button in 2015, Debbie designs and creates Dorset button jewellery, artwork and accessories using locally sourced yarn, as well as facilitating workshops on the craft. In 2013, she established her business, Wee Yarn Designs. Debbie’s accessories exhibit a clear contemporary edge while still acknowledging the use of traditional hand crafted skills.
View Debbie’s full profile on our maker’s directory: https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/maker/debbie-mccann/
#heritagecrafts #mondaymaker #dorsetbuttonmaking
We are profiling the recipients of our latest round of Endangered Crafts Fund grants.
Gail McGarva BEM @gailmcgarva.boatbuilder, from Dumfries and Galloway, has been funded to secure a barn to become the Traditional Boat Building Beacon, in which to teach regional clinker-built boat construction.
Gail’s grant is funded by the William Grant Foundation
Gail said: “Thank you so much to Heritage Crafts for awarding me an Endangered Crafts Fund grant in support of my project the Traditional Boatbuilding Beacon. It feels like a wonderful affirmation of my project and ignites hope for the future of the craft.”
📷 @alicia_canter
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Upholstery Technician
Location: North West
Upholstery2U is a fully mobile, on-the-go service that takes the workshop on the road, bringing expert furniture and equipment repair straight to the customer’s door. They are seeking an upholstery technician to join their growing team.
Responsibilities include:
-Assessing damage and diving into repairs – ripped gym pads, worn-out medical chairs, restaurant seating.
-Using industrial sewing machines, staple guns and more.
-Chatting with clients, offering solutions, and leaving them impressed.
-Keeping your van tidy and stocked
-Logging jobs and uploading before/after pics via our mobile app
-Getting stuff done — solo, efficiently, and with pride
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
Find out how to get your craft listed on the new Living Heritage in the UK inventory
We will be running two more online information session on Wednesday for anyone thinking of nominating their living heritage practice on the new Living Heritage in the UK inventory, launched by the government in December. This is part of Heritage Crafts’ new role as a Community Support Hub for the inventory.
Sign up for free via the Linktr.ee in our bio for online information sessions at 3pm and 6.30pm.
– Wednesday 14 January, 3pm to 4.30pm
– Wednesday 14 January, 6.30pm to 8pm
– Thursday 12 February, 3pm to 4.30pm
– Thursday 12 February, 6.30pm to 8pm
📷 @astrlfibres by @jesslowephoto
