Seven more grants to help save endangered crafts

A scientific glassblower, a diamond cutter and a ceramic mould maker are among the seven 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 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:

• Elena Fleury-Rojo, from Essex, to purchase a dedicated scientific glassblowing torch setup and associated equipment, to build on her training bursary and preserve the endangered craft of scientific glassblowing.
• Robert Girling, from Lancashire, to purchase specialist machinery and establish a functional diamond cutting workshop, expanding his lapidary skills into traditional diamond cutting and passing this endangered knowledge on to future generations.
• Rosa Harradine, from Sheffield, to purchase an antique Lipe & Walrath stitching machine to use alongside her foot-powered winder, to improve efficiency and sustainability in traditional broom and brush making.
• Philippe L’olive, from Kent, to purchase and modify a draw-bench and its associated tooling to produce specialised tubing in-house, as part of his mission to reduce reliance on imported components in UK brass musical instrument making.
• Mark Marchant, from Stoke-on-Trent, to support specialist tool costs, materials and teaching time to train an apprentice in mould making, blocking and casing, safeguarding critically endangered industrial pottery skills.
• Caroline West, from Tyne and Wear, to establish a national mentorship programme that pairs aspiring lace teachers with experienced makers, to address the critical shortage of teachers in the endangered craft of bobbin lace.
• Aaron Wright, from Norfolk, to support the costs of enrolling an apprentice onto the Stained Glass Apprenticeship at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, helping secure the future of historic stained glass conservation.

These seven projects follow 95 others awarded in previous rounds, covering endangered crafts such as straw hat making, framework knitting, watchmaking 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 William Grant Foundation, 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.

Tess Osman, Heritage Crafts Recipient Engagement and Impact Lead, said:

“We are incredibly proud to support these seven exceptional projects as they work to keep our at-risk skills alive. What stands out so strongly in this round is the powerful focus on transmission – whether through structured apprenticeships, national mentorship schemes or specialised workshop training. Thanks to the generosity of the Julia Rausing Trust and our anonymous donor, we are not just preserving heritage skills, but actively investing in the people who will carry them forward, ensuring they remain a vibrant part of our future.”

View the full list of the 102 grants awarded to date.

Photo: Caroline West, bobbin lace maker.