Ways to give
A national charity for heritage crafts
Corporate sponsorship
Find out some of the ways in which you can support Heritage Crafts and meet your Corporate Social Responsibility objectives at the same time, such as supporting a trainee in an endangered craft for part or all of their training or sponsoring an annual award as part of the Heritage Crafts Awards. Our corporate sponsors are pivotal to the future of heritage crafts.
You may also be interested in
Become a member
Become a Benefactor
Latest stories
Yusuf Osman Members’ Month talk
How to make an instructional video
Sally Pointer in Conversation
Maker member talk with Lucy Mayes
Craft inspiration direct to your inbox
Become a Heritage Crafts Fan and receive a free monthly newsletter about craft announcements, events and opportunities.
Subscribe
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Assistant Ropemaker
Location: Bristol
Deadline: 13th February 2026
Avon Ropes Ltd is a small business which started in Bristol in 2011, and relcoated a year ago to new, bigger premises near Kingswood, Bristol. They primarily produce high quality English-style church bell ropes, supplying to a worldwide market.
They are recruiting an assistant ropemaker to join their small team and help with the manufacture of these church bell ropes, primarily the finishing stages of trimming. The role involves working with natural fibres, wool, along with modern fibres like Polyester and Dyneema.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter to [email protected].
Find out 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.
@sailmaker_shiner on winning the Scotland and UK Maker of the Year Awards, the craft of traditional sailmaking in the Orkney Islands, and the advice he would give to his younger self. ⛵️🏴 #heritagecrafts #endangeredcrafts #heritagecraftsawards
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Upholstery apprentice
Location: Exeter
Perce & Williams specialise in creating bespoke, luxury upholstery pieces for discerning clients, interior designers, and prestigious international projects. With a strong emphasis on craftsmanship, quality, and design, their work combines traditional techniques with contemporary aesthetics to deliver exceptional furniture built to last. As they grow, they are seeking an upholstery apprentice to join their passionate team.
What you will learn:
-How to strip and rebuild furniture frames from the ground up.
-Upholstery techniques, including webbing, springs, padding, and fabric application.
-Upholstering high-end bespoke furniture such as sofas, chairs, headboards, and ottomans.
-Sewing fabric, leather, and other materials accurately using industrial machinery.
-How to work from design briefs and collaborate with designers and experienced upholsterers.
-Quality control and finishing to a luxury standard.
-Assisting with occasional on-site installations or client visits
This is a hands-on, practical role where you’ll learn how high-end furniture is made from start to finish. No previous upholstery experience is required — full training will be provided. You will start on a part-time basis, with hours increasing over time as your skills and confidence develop, leading to a full-time position.
Find out 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
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Leadlight Stained Glass Maker and Cementer
Location: Esher, South East.
Coriander Stained Glass is currently recruiting a leadlight stained glass maker and cementer. Established in 1995, they design, make, repair and restore stained glass windows and lead lights of any style or period. Their small team, spread over two branches in Wimbledon and Esher, cover everything from new custom leadlight designs and glass kiln-fired painting, to careful restoration and rebuilding of old and historic panels.
They are seeking an eager individual to join their rebuild/restoration team, working on aged and historic leadlight stained glass panels in order to restore them to their original state. This is an opportunity to delve into the world of a very old traditional craft, using techniques and tools used for centuries to adorn the architecture of Greater London and beyond. This work is well suited to someone with an interest in history and the arts. You do not need to have any experience in the craft, as training will be provided.
You can expect to learn skills such as glass cutting, lead shaping and cutting, soldering and cementing. You will learn about the countless glass types and textures, and will be handling glass that is between 70-150 years old on a daily basis. All work is done in the traditional way by hand.
Find out 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.
This week’s #craftfocus is globe making.
Globe making involves the creation and restoration of globes – spheres covered with a map usually of the earth or the heavens.
The traditional method of globe construction involved making a papier maché sphere and then covering it in plaster.
Today, some globe makers outsource the spheres and have them made in resin/ fibreglass or plastic whilst others retain the artisanal hand skills of making in plaster and papier maché.
Key skills include:
-Cartography – creating a map that accurately can be applied to a sphere.
-Construction of the sphere.
-Cutting of the gores (the almond shaped pieces of the map that are applied to a sphere).
-Hand tinting of map gores – often printed in black and white, gores are then hand coloured with a fine paint brush and water colour.
-Wetting and stretching the gores across the sphere without ripping, tearing, bubbling, overlapping, or leaving gaps between gores.
-Construction of bases / stands for both Desktop and Floor Standing Globes.
Some globe makers will also undertake the restoration of antique globes. A maker trained in traditional construction methods will have the experience and expertise to mend and restore old globes.
Globe making is classified as endangered on our Craft Inventory. There is a lack of specialised training available, presenting difficulty in learning techniques such as goring. Many globe makers have also shifted from making for educational purposes to the higher end market. Social media however is helping to increase popularity of the craft.
Images: Lander & May Ltd @landerandmay.globes
#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #globemaking
This week’s #mondaymaker is Angharad Thomas @angharadt – a glove knitter.
Angharad started making hand knitted patterned gloves around 15 years ago. She undertook a master’s in knitwear and knitted fabric design at what is now Trent University, then became a knitwear designer working with both hand and machine knitting for about five years. After this, Angharad moved into university level teaching in textiles and then design more broadly. She completed a PhD on textiles and sustainability through the lens of patterned gloves. Angharad most enjoys the initial designing process and slowly seeing the pattern emerge through knitting.
If you want to read an exclusive interview about Angharad’s work, become a member of Heritage Crafts and learn more in the members portal: https://www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/join-us/
#heritagecrafts #mondaymaker #glovemaking #knitting
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Heritage Building Craftsperson Trainee
Location: Danbury, Essex
Bakers of Danbury Ltd is a long-established Essex based construction company, who carry out a broad spectrum of works from specialised restoration works to churches and listed buildings, to mainstream construction and insurance repairs. They are recruiting a Trainee Building Craftsman specialising in stone, brick and plaster who will work within their Church and Heritage Building Department. You may be starting out in construction or already working as a tradesperson – looking to focus your skills by working on fascinating and rewarding historic buildings. Alternatively, you may be working in a labouring/semi-skilled position and looking to progress to craftsman status.
You will be working as part of the onsite team gaining practical hands-on construction experience. This will combine with entry onto their bespoke Heritage Training Programme, allowing you to further develop your craft skills within a recognised training programme.
The work and training you will be involved in will cover traditional works such as stonework, lime plastering and mortars, brickwork repairs, joinery and other skills necessary to specialise in the conservation and repair of historical buildings, churches and ancient monuments.
Find out 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.
Heritage Crafts and the International Guild of Knot Tyers have launched a training bursary for a new or early-career practitioner in maritime rope and twine crafts. The successful applicant will benefit from up to £4,000 in funding, as well as one-to-one support from the staff at Heritage Crafts.
The bursaries are provided to help cover or subsidise the cost of training for a new entrant or early-career practitioner who would otherwise be prevented from pursuing this career path as a result of the cost.
Maritime rope and twine crafts in this context relate to both sea and inland waterways, and can include, but are not limited to, rope making, rigging, net making, fender making and so on.
The maritime rope and twine bursaries sit alongside others in fashion textiles and costume (supported by the Costume Society), leatherworking (supported by the Leathersellers’ Foundation), saddlery (supported by the Saddlers’ Company), shoe making (supported by the Cordwainers’ Company), stained glass (supported by the British Society of Master Glass Painters) and building crafts in Northern Ireland (supported by CITBNI). Additional bursaries for other crafts will open in April.
To find out more including how to apply (deadline 20 March) follow the linktr.ee in our bio.
📷 2025 recipient Felix Gillies Creasey.
