FAQs
Here are a list of frequently asked questions. If your question is still not answered, please send us a message here
General
What is Heritage Crafts in one sentence?
Heritage Crafts is the UK charity set up to celebrate, support and safeguard traditional craft skills, and to facilitate a national conversation about their importance to everyone now and in the future.
What is a heritage craft?
Heritage Crafts defines a heritage craft as a craft that:
- employs manual dexterity and skill at the point of production;
- requires an understanding of traditional materials, design and techniques; and
- has been practised for two or more successive generations.
How do I get an entry added or updated on the crafts list?
Please email Mary at [email protected] with your query about the crafts list.
What is the difference between the crafts list and the Maker Directory?
The crafts list is the research list compiled and updated by Heritage Crafts on all of the heritage crafts in the UK, which is updated alongside the Red List of Endangered Crafts every two years.
The Makers Directory is a Heritage Crafts membership benefit that allows any of the charity’s members to have a profile to showcase their work as a maker.
Where is Heritage Crafts based?
The charity is 100% remote and does not have a bricks-and-mortar office.
Membership
Who can be a member of Heritage Crafts?
Anyone. Heritage Crafts membership is open to all, whether you are a professional craftsperson, an amateur maker, or someone who is craft curious.
Can I become a member if I am international?
Yes. We have members from across the world and are grateful for our international members’ support.
Is Heritage Crafts membership an accreditation for makers?
No. Our membership is a program that provides support to the charity while simultaneously building a community of makers and craft curious people alike who wish to support, engage and learn more about Heritage Crafts.
Should I be an individual member or business member as an independent entrepreneur?
If you run your own business solo, become an individual member. If your business has multiple people who would like to receive membership benefits, then become a business member (up to five people can receive membership digital content).
Grants/Bursaries/Awards
Which funding scheme is right for me?
The Endangered Crafts Fund is for practitioners of at-risk crafts featured on the Red List of Endangered Crafts to overcome an obstacle or undertake a project to make their craft more likely to survive.
Training bursaries are for new entrants or early career craftspeople who are unable to progress because of the cost of training.
Heritage Crafts Awards are for recognition of something you have achieved, and usually come with a cash prize.
Can I apply for funding more than once?
Yes.
If I volunteer for Heritage Crafts, am I allowed to apply for funding?
Yes.
How long will it take to hear back about my application?
It depends on the funding opportunity and the amount of applicants. The grants are in high demand and so we do see a high number of applications per round.
We do aim to have results back with applicants between 9-12 weeks after the grant deadline.
Please check out the extensive FAQ for each funding opportunity in the links above.
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Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Jake Mann @mj.leatherwork, from Gloucestershire, holds City&Guilds qualifications in bridle, saddle and harness making from Capel Manor College. His bursary will fund advanced saddlery, harness and bridle training modules across the @walsallleatherskillscentre and the Saddlery Training Centre in Salisbury.
Jake’s bursary is supported by the Dulverton Trust.
Jake said: “Securing this funding means a great deal as I am just building my business. This will help fund me to further my training and myself in leatherwork and saddlery.”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Shirley Nelson @shirleynelsonjewellery, from London, holds an Intermediate Jewellery Certificate from Morley College and runs her own jewellery business. Her bursary will fund eight days of one-to-one home tuition with award-winning enameller @connelly.linda, developing advanced wet pack, engraving and cloisonné techniques.
Shirley’s bursary is supported by the Capri Holdings Corporate Foundation.
Shirley said: “I’m thrilled to be offered a Heritage Craft bursary! It will allow me to learn the fundamentals of enamelling and elevate my craft skills under the tutelage of Linda Connelly, a true expert.”
📷 @julietsheath
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Isobel Blackburn @isobel_blackburn_costume, from Penarth, recently completed a Masters in costume design and construction, developing a strong passion for hand sewing and historical costume making. Her bursary will fund bespoke one-to-one training with professional costume maker Veronica Petersson to master traditional tailoring techniques and full suit construction.
Isobel’s bursary is supported by the Ashley Family Foundation.
Isobel said: “I’m so excited to have the opportunity of pursuing further training in tailoring thanks to the Heritage Crafts bursary. I came to costume making as a career change to pursue something I’m passionate about, and through doing so have discovered a love for tailoring and historical making. Having this opportunity of one-to-one training is going to help me to grow and refine my skillset, something I just wouldn’t be able to do to the same quality without the help of Heritage Crafts and the Ashley Family Foundation.”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Viola Prokopova, from Middlesex, represents the eighth generation of violin makers in her family and has studied violin making both in the family workshop and in the Czech Republic. Her bursary will fund her first-year tuition fees on the Fundamentals of Violin Making programme at the @newark_school_of_violin_making.
Viola’s bursary is supported by the Dulverton Trust.
Viola said: “Attending Newark School of Violin Making has been my dream for over two years. Heritage Crafts and teh Dulverton Trust have helped make it a reality.”
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.
Hayden Mackenzie @studiohaydenmackenzie, upholsterer, was nominated by the @theupholdersliverycompany.
Hayden Mackenzie is an upholsterer and textile designer who brings a unique blend of traditional craftsmanship and vibrant contemporary design to his practice. As the founder of Studio Hayden Mackenzie, he specialises in bespoke upholstery alongside hand screen-printing and digital pattern design tailored for luxury interior fabrics. His high-end interior collection ‘The Macaroni Club’ draws inspiration from the flamboyance of the Grand Tour to celebrate early icons of queer style. Hayden’s keen eye for detail, worksmanship and respect for historical upholstery, has seen him work sympathetically on the Royal Collection’s upholstered furniture.
Congratulations to all the winners and to former Heritage Crafts Chair Patricia Lovett MBE and Richard Hefford-Hobbs for organising the awards.
Five-day Ceramic Painting Masterclass with Lee Price @ukceramicartist at @duchesschina1888 – supported by @goldsmithsfoundation. 🎨
📍 Where: Duchess China 1888, Uttoxeter Rd, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 1PB
⏰ When: 7 to 11 December 2026, 10am to 4pm each day with a lunch break (lunch provided)
💰 Cost: £300 (three free bursary places available for those from under-represented communities or facing financial hardship – subject to availability)
✍️ Application deadline: Sunday 1 November 2026
Join prestige artist Lee Price for a five-day intensive course on the art and endangered craft of ceramic painting to create a masterpiece.
With close to forty years of experience holding the mantle of decorative ceramic heritage, Lee is one of the unsung heroes of British craft. He works out of Duchess China 1888, one of the few remaining producers of fine bone china in the UK, and home to a wealth of knowledge, experience and skill at the heart of the historic Potteries in Longton.
At the end of the course, participants will have learned the principles of ceramic painting and will take away their own hand-finished piece, an original Duchess China 1888 eight-inch plate with a hand-painted centre, three side panels and raised paste gold sprays on a black border.
This course is not intended as an ‘experience’; it is for working practitioners who intend to incorporate these skills into their ceramics practice.
To ensure equitable access to this vital training opportunity, we are providing three free bursary places for individuals from under-represented communities or facing financial hardship – subject to availability.
Please note, places will be allocated based on suitability. Please fill in the application form and Heritage Crafts will contact you with news of whether you have been accepted onto the course.
📲 For more details and to apply, please visit the linktr.ee in our bio or https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-stories/ceramicpaintingmasterclass/.
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Trainee Stained Glass Conservator
Deadline: 2 November 2026, noon
Where: York
The York Glaziers Trust is seeking to recruit a trainee stained glass conservator to join its team.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a strong interest in traditional craft skills and the heritage sector, a passion for detail and a commitment to excellence. You will train alongside a team of sector leaders in stained glass craft and conservation, working in and around the magnificent setting of York Minster, with the chance to work at other historic sites throughout the UK, including the University of Oxford and Lincoln’s Inn, London.
As a member of a key partner in the York Minster Centre of Excellence in Heritage Skills and Estate Management you will interact with other heritage trades. You will develop high levels of skill in one of the most competitive and sought-after areas of the historic glass and glazing craft.
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.
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Elliot Greenfield, from London, is a self-taught jeweller and the founder of jewellery label @ex.astudio. His bursary will fund one-to-one weekly masterclasses in traditional hand engraving and stone setting with master diamond setter John Daniels FIPG @diamondsetting4u.
Elliot’s bursary is supported by the Capri Holdings Corporate Foundation.
Elliot said: “Securing this funding from heritage crafts means the world to my practice, allowing me to gain meaningful training and develop my skills beyond what I could imagine!”
