President’s Award 2021 finalists announced

The three finalists for the second President’s Award for Endangered Crafts, established by Heritage Crafts Association President HRH The Prince of Wales, have been announced.

Each year the President’s Award presents £3,000 to a heritage craftsperson who will use the funding to ensure that craft skills are passed on to the future. The winner will be presented at a special reception at Dumfries House, home of The Prince’s Foundation, in September, as well as at a prestigious winners’ reception at the Houses of Parliament.

The three finalists are (in alphabetical order):

• Hugh Dunford-Wood, wallpaper maker
• Veronica Main MBE, hat plaiter
• Rebecca Struthers, watchmaker

These three have now been put forward to HRH The Prince of Wales to select the eventual winner.

They were selected from a ten-name shortlist by the Awards judges on 17 June 2021. The other seven shortlisted craftspeople were (in alphabetical order):

• Duncan Berry, flintknapper and mason
• Ben Bosence, brick and tile maker
• David Evers, pole-lathe bowl turner
• Tony Millyard, flute maker
• Abdollah Nafisi, chair seater
• Tuesday Riddell, japanner
• Rebecca Struthers, watchmaker
• Johanna Welsh, pargeter

The Award judges are renowned advocates of craft skills:

• Jay Blades MBE, BBC The Repair Shop, Jay & Co;
• Kate Hobhouse, Chair of Fortnum and Mason;
• Paul Jacobs, Co-Owner of Ernest Wight scissor makers
• Patricia Lovett MBE, Chair of the Heritage Crafts Association; and
• Simon Sadinsky, Deputy Director of The Prince’s Foundation.