Seven more grants to help save endangered crafts

A straw hat maker, a watch case maker and a harp maker are among the recipients of a new round of grants to help safeguard some of the UK’s most endangered craft skills.

Heritage Crafts has awarded the grants through its Endangered Crafts Fund, which was launched in 2019 to increase the likelihood of at-risk craft skills surviving into the next generation. This round’s grants are funded by the Julia Rausing Trust, the William Grant Foundation and a private donor.

In May 2025 Heritage Crafts published the fifth edition of its ground-breaking Red List of Endangered Crafts, the first research of its kind to rank the UK’s traditional crafts by the likelihood that they will survive into the next generation. The report assessed 285 crafts to ascertain those which are at greatest risk of disappearing, of which 94 were classified as ‘endangered’ and a further 71 as ‘critically endangered’.

The seven successful recipients are:

• James Anderson, from Luton, to restore antique straw hat making machines and buy a boater hat block for his blocking machine, as part of his mission to revive straw hat making in the town.
• Framework Knitters Museum, in Nottinghamshire, to manufacture, purchase and install new prototype bearded needles for their stocking frames, and train volunteers in their use.
• Seth Kennedy, from Hertfordshire, to refurbish and provide storage for specialised tools, to be used to teach horologists and silversmiths to become watch case makers.
• Jessica Light, from London, to train apprentice Anna Ray in the craft of passementerie, and together explore new routes to market.
• Gail McGarva BEM, from Dumfries and Galloway, to secure a barn to become the Traditional Boat Building Beacon, in which to teach regional clinker-built boat construction.
• Mark Norris, from the Scottish Borders, to help open a school of harp making and develop a curriculum of tuition before the craft dies out in Scotland.
• Mark Rochman, from Leeds, to gain bicycle frame making skills from Ellis Briggs Cycles and add bicycle making to the offering of Leeds Bike Mill, a workers cooperative currently offering bicycle repair and maintenance.

These seven projects follow 88 others awarded in previous rounds, covering endangered crafts such as vegeatbale tanning, shinty caman making, flute making and many more. Previous funders have included the Sussex Heritage Trust, the Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust, the Dulverton Trust, the Swire Charitable Trust, the Ashley Family Foundation, the Essex Community Foundation and others, as well as individuals who have donated sums from £5 right up to several thousands of pounds.

As usual the fund was oversubscribed, and Heritage Crafts hopes to work with many of the unsuccessful candidates to identify other funding and support opportunities.

Mary Lewis, Heritage Crafts’ Head of Craft Sustainability, said:

“Every grant from our Endangered Crafts Fund is more than just financial support; it’s a beacon of hope for skills teetering on the brink. These seven projects, generously funded by our partners, aren’t just preserving ancient techniques; they’re igniting new passions, fostering fulfilling livelihoods, and ensuring that the heartbeat of our craft heritage continues for generations to come.”

View the full list of the 95 grants awarded to date

Photo: James Anderson, straw hat maker.