Become a benefactor
Support our growing community
Our Benefactor Tiers
- Quarterly Benefactor Newsletter
- Acknowledgement in the Heritage Crafts Annual Review and on the Heritage Crafts website
- VIP invitation to Heritage Crafts events
- 2 Monthly emails sent (Members Newsletter and Meet a Maker interview)
- Members only portal on the website (digital resources, videos, and info)
- Exclusive digital talks and workshops
- A profile on the Maker Directory, which is an online showcase of work by Heritage Crafts members who practises a craft
- Discounted tickets to our Annual Conference for 2 adults
- Invitation to the Heritage Crafts’ AGM where you will be able to vote on significant issues affecting the charity
- Annual visit to maker workshop or open house
- Quarterly Benefactor Newsletter
- Acknowledgement in the Heritage Crafts Annual Review and on the Heritage Crafts website
- VIP invitation to Heritage Crafts events
- 2 Monthly emails (Members Newsletter and Meet a Maker interview)
- Members only portal on the website (digital resources, videos, and info)
- Exclusive digital talks and workshops
- A profile on the Maker Directory, which is an online showcase of work by Heritage Crafts members who practises a craft
- Discounted tickets to our Annual Conference for two adults and two youths under 18
- Invitation to the Heritage Crafts’ AGM where you will be able to vote on significant issues affecting the charity
- Annual visit to maker workshop or open house
- Quarterly Benefactor Newsletter
- Acknowledgement in the Heritage Crafts Annual Review and on the Heritage Crafts website
- Listing as a partner on the Heritage Crafts website
- VIP invitation to Heritage Crafts events
- 2 Monthly emails sent to as many as 5 recipients (Members Newsletter and Meet a Maker interview)
- Members only portal on the website (digital resources, videos, and info)
- Exclusive digital talks and workshops
- A profile on the Maker Directory, which is an online showcase of work by Heritage Crafts members who practises a craft
- Discounted tickets to our Annual Conference for up to 5 recipients
- Invitation to the Heritage Crafts’ AGM where you will be able to vote on significant issues affecting the charity
- Annual visit to maker workshop or open house
- Quarterly Benefactor Newsletter
- Acknowledgement in the Heritage Crafts Annual Review and on the Heritage Crafts website
- Listing as a partner on the Heritage Crafts website
- VIP invitation to Heritage Crafts events
- 2 Monthly emails sent to as many as 5 recipients (Members Newsletter and Meet a Maker interview)
- Members only portal on the website (digital resources, videos, and info)
- Exclusive digital talks and workshops
- A profile on the Maker Directory, which is an online showcase of work by Heritage Crafts members who practises a craft
- Discounted tickets to our Annual Conference for up to 5 recipients
- Invitation to the Heritage Crafts’ AGM where you will be able to vote on significant issues affecting the charity
- Annual visit to maker workshop or open house
Being a benefactor for Heritage Crafts is a very meaningful and rewarding way of giving for us. We are passionate about maintaining our British makers and craftspeople – and by becoming a benefactor we are able to help educate and train people, and support existing crafts that are in need. We have also met some amazingly creative and skilled young people. We hope that we are playing our part to increase the likelihood of at-risk heritage skills surviving into the next generation.
Lucy Butcher
Benefactors shaping our future
Your financial contribution will help us to:
- raise awareness of the challenges facing heritage crafts;
- make awards and bursaries which recognise excellence and provide funding for training and support for emerging craft talent;
- support the heritage crafts community so that traditional crafts continue into the future;
- record endangered craft skills and make them available in print and online;
- advocate for traditional crafts to government and key organisations;
- increase the profile of heritage crafts across the UK and raise awareness of the world-class crafts produced here;
- highlight the cultural value of heritage crafts and their national importance;
- inform and inspire young people to consider a career in craft;
- provide teaching materials for non-specialists so that crafts can be taught in the classroom.
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#matchMAKER opportunity!
Craftsperson Operative (willow)
Deadline: 4 September 2026
Where: Somerset
Are you passionate about craftsmanship and hands-on work? Somerset Willow is looking for a motivated individual to join its team as a Willow Craftsperson. You’ll learn time-honoured weaving techniques and help create premium handmade willow products cherished by customers across the UK and abroad.
Somerset Willow is a leading UK manufacturer of premium handmade willow products, supplying industries ranging from funerals to interiors and fashion. Its commitment to craftsmanship and quality has earned it a strong reputation at home and internationally.
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.
2027 Calendar Photography Competition
Deadline for entries: 21 September 2026
We are creating an official Heritage Crafts 2027 Calendar, to be sold through our online shop later this year.
To make this calendar a true celebration of traditional craft skills across the UK, we are inviting makers to submit high-quality photographs of their work and workshops.
Twelve selected makers will be featured as the main image for each month of the year, showcasing the incredible breadth, precision and beauty of heritage crafts to thousands of craft enthusiasts.
Find out mor at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-stories/photocompetition2027/ or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
📷 Gerald Monaghan blacksmith at Ulster Folk Museum, by Philip Utton
In yesterday’s Guardian, ‘AI-proof? Younger workers desert the digital world for traditional crafts’.
“It’s a bleak moment for young people entering the workforce for the first time. For decades, a university degree seemed to promise a stable career – but entry-level white-collar jobs across almost all sectors are being disrupted by AI…
“Even creative fields are struggling against AI tech that can produce artwork, lengthy prose or complex design briefs in seconds.
“But many young workers have responded by turning to what they see as ‘AI-proof’ heritage crafts. These are the centuries-old, hands-on jobs, such as boat-making, metalwork or bookbinding, that require specialist knowledge built on creative judgment and dexterity, skills not yet mastered by AI.”
Featuring @ludlowbookbinders @coxlondon and @nationaltheatre.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/aug/27/ai-proof-jobs-traditional-crafts or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
Encaustic tile maker and Heritage Crafts Endangered Crafts Fund recipient Craig Peebles @welbyandwright featured on Radio 2’s Pitch Your Passion segment with Romesh Ranganathan.
He did an amazing job pitching his love for encaustic tile making… but could he beat the mighty Lego?
To support our work in safeguarding endangered skills join up as a member and make a donation at heritagecrafts.org.uk.
Who do you think should win?
Heritage Crafts at Craft Festival Wales @craftfestival
When: 11 to 13 September 2026
Where: Cardigan Castle
We’re thrilled to be back at Craft Festival Wales this September, bringing with us makers dedicating their lives to keeping rare and remarkable skills alive.
This year, you can meet drystone waller Barney Murray @barneywalling, polisher and enameller Freya Bletsoe @isabellaossett, quiltmaker Samantha Jones @samanthajonesquilts, and milliner Emily Gash @wade.evans.designs.
Mary Lewis @maryeluned_craft, Head of Craft Sustainability at Heritage Crafts, will also be hosting a panel discussion featuring Barney Murray and Katy Bevan from Quickthorn Books @quickthornbooks at 3.30pm on Sunday 13 September – Living Lineage: What Does Heritage Craft Mean Today?
https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/events/craft-festival-wales-2026/ or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
Five-day Passementerie Masterclass with Jessica Light @jessica_light_, the ‘Tassel Queen of Bethnal Green’ – supported by @goldsmithsfoundation. 🧵
📍 Where: Weavers Works @weavers.works, Walthamstow, London E17 7BH
⏰ When: 25 to 30 October 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: Monday 31 August 2026
Join the ‘Tassel Queen of Bethnal Green’ for a five-day intensive course on passementerie aimed at intermediate textile practitioners. With over three decades of experience in the trade, a well-established authority on the historic techniques and one of only a few contemporary practitioners, Jessica Light is a leading figure in the endangered craft of passementerie.
This is a unique opportunity to spend a considerable amount of time with Jessica, gaining hands-on experience, close tuition on a range of weaving and table work techniques, guidance on materials and colour, and a look at passementerie notation.
At the end of the course, trainees will be able to create highly ornamental or pared-back embellishments for furniture, lighting, clothes, and costumes through a rich interplay of materials, techniques, patterns, colours, and textures.
This course is not intended as an ‘experience’; it is for working practitioners who intend to incorporate these skills into their textile practice. Both masterclasses cover the same areas and each have five places available, providing a focused and supportive learning environment.
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/passementeriemasterclass/.
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Trainee Jeweller
Where: Cambridgeshire
Chloe’s Jewellers & Repairs has been family-owned business for over 100 years, serving the high streets of Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Essex and Norfolk with high quality jewellery sales and repairs.
This paid internship is designed to nurture your talent while offering invaluable industry insights. Grow your skills alongside expert artisans in a vibrant environment that celebrates creativity, precision, and innovation.
You will gain hands-on experience in various aspects of jewellery making, from initial design concepts to finishing touches, while contributing to the creation of beautiful, high-quality pieces.
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 this year’s Emerging Metalworker of the Year Award supported by Lucy and Laurence Butcher. This award celebrates the talent, grit, and artistry of those in the first five years of their professional metalworking journey. ⚒️
• Russell Lownsbrough @russell_lownsbrough – award-winning master craftsman, wax carver and goldsmith with over thirty years of professional experience in the trade, Russell is renowned for his bespoke jewellery, silverware and medals using traditional lost-wax casting methods alongside direct metalworking. A Fellow of the Institute of Professional Goldsmiths and a judge for the Goldsmiths Craft and Design Awards, he is passionate about passing on specialised bench skills through masterclasses and industry mentoring.
• Lisa Wisdom @lisawisdomartist – acclaimed traditional blacksmith and jeweller who transforms salvaged, rusted metals into evocative landscape collages, Lisa utilises the natural weathering, minerals and textures of reclaimed copper, zinc, lead and iron. An Associate of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths and member of the Cornwall Crafts Association, she champions sustainable, regenerative material use and creative improvisation.
This award is open to any craft where metal is the primary material, including blacksmithing, coppersmithing, tinsmithing, silversmithing, goldsmithing, swordsmithing, knife making, cutlery making, bronze casting, brass instrument making … and more!
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November.
📅 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-metalworker-of-the-year/
📷 2024 finalist Caitlin Murphy
