The wonderful Radcliffe Trust are celebrating their tercentenary this year and have decided to mark this by creating the Balfour of Burleigh Prizes for Exceptional Achievement in Crafts. The HCA is delighted that Gail McGarva BEM, boat builder, who spoke at the first HCA Annual Conference, and was nominated by the association is the recipient of one of these prestigious prizes.
There are only six awards at this highest level and it recognises the exceptional work that Gail does not only in building traditional boats, but also in passing on those skills and involving communities in her work. This is an exceptional prize and the HCA is thrilled to be associated with it and will be represented at the awards dinner with Gail this month (November 2015).
The photograph of Gail restoring a wooden boat was taken by Rebecca Collis, finalist in the National Historic Ships Photography Competition 2015, in which she won a Highly Commended for a portrait of Gail.
