About
the national charity for heritage crafts
What we do
Heritage Crafts is the national charity for traditional heritage crafts. Working in partnership with Government and key agencies, we provide a focus for craftspeople, groups, societies and guilds, as well as individuals who care about the loss of traditional crafts skills, and work towards a healthy and sustainable framework for the future.
We are a UNESCO accredited NGO for Intangible Cultural Heritage and an official Community Support Hub for the UK Governments’ Living Heritage in the UK inventory, having advocated for UK ratification of the UNESCO Convention of the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010.
Our Mission
To support and promote heritage crafts as a fundamental part of our living heritage.
We do this through:
- Knowledge – researching the status of heritage crafts and identifying those crafts in decline or in imminent danger of being lost.
- Advocacy – communicating the vital importance of heritage craft skills to the public, Government, key agencies and organisations.
- Safeguarding – ensuring that the highest standard of heritage craft skills are passed from one generation to the next and are recorded for posterity where necessary.
- Support – supporting heritage craftspeople to continue to practice, nurture and pass on their craft.
- Engagement – actively raising awareness and interest in heritage craft skills with the wider public and offering opportunities to engage.
Our Values
Equity and inclusivity
Removing barriers to participation and fostering appreciation of heritage crafts across diverse communities
Credibility and authority
Reflecting the extensive expertise of our heritage craft communities
Collaboration and cooperation
Facilitating connection between makers, supporters and partner organisations
Sustainability and stewardship
Being mindful of the cultural, social, economic and environmental impacts of heritage crafts
Integrity and honesty
Operating openly, accountably and fairly
Continual learning and development
Safeguarding heritage skills by adapting to changing social, cultural and economic contexts
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Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Rachel Holding @curiousgilding, from London, has practised reverse glass gilding and sign painting for six years alongside a professional career as an advertising creative. Her bursary will fund bespoke one-to-one training with master craftsman @by_umberto, developing advanced reverse glass water gilding, acid etching and brilliant cutting.
Rachel’s bursary is supported by the Dulverton Trust.
Rachel said: “I’ve spent years practising reverse glass signpainting and gilding in spare rooms and stolen weekends, falling more in love with it but struggling to develop as fast as I’d like. This funding means I can train with one of the best practitioners in the UK, who will undoubtedly tell me all the things I’ve been doing wrong. And that’s exactly what I’m most looking forward to.”
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Saddle Repair Technician
Where: Walsall, West Midlands
Aviar Saddles is seeking a Repair Technician.
Prospective candidates will possess good hand eye coordination and be handy with the use of tools in building. Previous experience with other craft/skill based work, carpentry, welding and construction is preferred but not required.
They are looking for good, down to earth people with a healthy attitude. Experience is preferred but they will train the right candidate.
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.
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Domal McKenzie @rhubarbncustardco, from London, is an independent menswear designer currently completing a residency at @makerversity. His bursary will fund two intensive courses at the @londonfashioncollege – the Bomber Jacket course with @anthonyprinci.ldn and the Menswear Pattern Cutting Intensive with @patterncutter.
Domal’s bursary is supported by the Capri Holdings Corporate Foundation.
Domal said: “Receiving this bursary gives me the support I need to keep making and developing my craft. It’s a huge boost for my work and where I’m taking it next.”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Lisa Lloyd @lisalloyddesigns, from Oxfordshire, has a background in fashion, textiles and art lecturing, having trained informally with master upholsterers. Her bursary will fund the 12 Steps to Upholstery Success programme at the Oxford School of Upholstery, alongside specialist short courses in leather upholstery.
Lisa’s bursary is supported by the Dulverton Trust.
Lisa said: “Securing this Heritage Crafts bursary is a turning point in my practice. It gives me the chance to deepen endangered upholstery skills that are essential to preserving Britain’s craft lineage – techniques like horsehair work, stitched edges and hand‑springing British and French that cannot be learned through shortcuts. As a single parent building a sustainable craft career, this support removes barriers and allows me to invest fully in the precision and integrity my work is known for. This bursary doesn’t just strengthen my skills… it strengthens the future of my craft.”
📷 Iris Lloyd
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Noah Staley-Mathews oopswrongtimeperiod, from Nottinghamshire, is a 15-year-old home-educated maker with a deep passion for historical weapons and armour, having produced several helmets, shields and swords for buhurt combat. His bursary will fund 38 weeks of bi-weekly one-to-one masterclasses with professional armourer Matthew Finchen of @lancasterarmoury, alongside specialist workshop equipment.
Noah’s bursary is supported by Malcolm and Rosalind Gammie.
Noah said: “This funding will allow me to begin my career and train with a Master Armourer, and I am incredibly grateful to Heritage Crafts for helping my dream become a reality. My friends are going off to college, but I wanted to take a different route, and this grant has given me the opportunity to do that. Practising my craft is really positive for my mental health, so I am very grateful to be able to move forward in this direction and build a future doing something that I love. Thank you Heritage Crafts and Mr and Mrs Gammie!”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Polina Volochay, from Glasgow, has a background in film and television costume and has gained hands-on boatbuilding and rigging experience through voluntary work on traditional vessels. Her bursary will fund an apprenticeship-style placement in Shetland with sailmaker @sew_far_north to construct a mainsail for a Baltic schooner, tuition for a traditional sailmaking course with @sailmaker_shiner at @uhiorkney, and a heavy-duty portable walking foot sewing machine.
Polina’s bursary is supported by the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation.
Polina said: “Receiving this award from Heritage Crafts is incredibly meaningful for me. I’m excited for the dedicated time I’ll have to practice my craft and the quality of teaching I’ll be able to access as a result of their support. I am looking forward to becoming a part of the enlivening and resilient use of traditional skills!”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Olumide Emmanuel Faleti (Minuel), from Renfrewshire, is the founder and creative director of footwear brand @minuel.uk and leads the @oefinitiative, an educational craft project. His bursary will help fund his place on the Complete Shoemaking and Footwear course at the @londonfashioncollege, mastering core pattern cutting, closing, lasting and construction processes.
Minuel’s bursary is funded by the Capri Holdings Corporate Foundation.
Minuel said: “Securing this funding is a significant step forward in my shoemaking journey. It will give me the opportunity to develop my traditional shoemaking skills through specialist training, strengthen my craft practice and help me contribute to keeping these important skills alive for future generations.”
Over 35 posts we are profiling the recipients of our latest round of training bursaries.
Emmaly Crimmel @crimmelemmaly, from Swansea, is an MA Glass student at @glass_swansea_college_of_art with a background in fine art, drawing and wood crafts. Her bursary will fund specialist glass painting, engraving and conservation masterclasses with leading practitioners @jonathancookestainedglass, @zoe_boulton_glass, @tracey.sheppard_, @derekhuntartist and @rachelphillipsglass, as well as essential traditional tools.
Emmaly’s bursary is supported by the Ashley Family Foundation.
Emmaly said: “The funding gives my work in stained glass greater depth and purpose by providing access to specialist training and tools. Learning directly from incredibly talented craftspeople who inspire me, alongside having access to specialist tools in my own studio, will help me shape a practice that is truly my own. More than anything, this bursary transforms ambition into reality.”
📷 @zoe_boulton_glass
