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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Nominate yourself, a friend or mentor by 21 August.
@scarlweaves won our Young Weaver of the Year Award in 2024 and we caught up with her at @craftfestival to see what sort of impact it had on her career and to hear more about her current residency at the @hugoburgefoundation.
The annual Heritage Crafts Awards shine a spotlight on individuals who champion heritage crafts skills and trades, celebrating living crafts that contribute to our national heritage.
This year, we are delighted to be holding the Winner’s Reception at the prestigious Goldsmiths’ Hall in London on Monday 23 November, in partnership with the Goldsmiths’ Company.
🏆 Categories include:
• Patron’s Award for Endangered Crafts: £5,000 award (£1,000 for runner-up) for safeguarding at-risk skills as per the Red List of Endangered Crafts
• National Makers of the Year: awards up to £2,000
• Emerging Makers: £1,000 prizes for early-career practitioners (new categories announced!)
• Backbone of the craft: Celebrating top Trainers, Trainees, Community Catalysts and Lifetime Achievers
📝 Key info:
• All via a single online form.
• Finalists will be invited to a high-profile Winners’ Reception at Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, this November.
⏳ Deadline: Friday 21 August, at 5pm
🔗 Nominate someone (or yourself!) today: Head to the Heritage Crafts website to apply via the linktr.ee in our bio, https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/opportunities/awards/ or the ‘Opportunities’ section of the Heritage Crafts website.
Help shine a spotlight on the makers who underpin our culture. Our enormous gratitude to our generous sponsors who make this possible.
The awards are presented in partnership with supporters the @kingcharlesfund, @royalmintuk, the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, @thegoldsmithscompany, @costume_society, @marshawards, @theleathersellers, the Broderers’ Company, @SPAB1877, @bsmgp, @woodsmith_uk, @sonnaz_, @roseuniacke, @hiutdenim and @mournetextiles.
#HeritageCraftsAwards
We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Fashion Textile Maker of the Year Award supported by the @costume_society.💃🕺
• Harris Elliott OBE @harriselliottstudio – internationally renowned creative director, stylist and curator, Harris seamlessly merges spatial design with material culture, fashion and subcultural storytelling. Famous for styling iconic musicians like Blur and Gorillaz, he collaborates with artisan communities across the African diaspora through his creative platform Le Tings, elevating traditional craftsmanship onto global stages.
• Rachel Frost @rachelfrosthatter – award-winning Scottish hatmaker, historian and 2025 winner of the Fashion and Textile Maker of the Year Award, Rachel is currently the only artisan in Europe hand-felting hats using a traditional 18th-century ‘hatter’s bow’ – an extinct craft technique she single-handedly revived. Her sustainable practice incorporates naturally dyed, handspun wool and foraged plant fibres to create bespoke pieces for stage, screen and global museum collections.
• Professor Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas @fashionnatascha – Vice Chair of the Costume Society and Professor of Marketing and Sustainable Fashion at Ravensbourne University London, Natascha’s extensive cross-disciplinary research focuses on sustainable business models, ethical supply chains and international craft heritage. A prominent media commentator and author, she champions responsible design and social responsibility within global fashion.
Whether a costume maker, dressmaker, tailor, pattern cutter, hat maker, milliner, or weaver of fabrics specifically for fashion garments, we want to celebrate a maker’s dedication to excellence. From glovemaking to corset making… if the work is exceptional, it belongs in the spotlight.
There is a £2,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/fashion-textile-maker-of-the-year/
📷 Alis Le May
Trustee opportunities
Deadline: Friday 4 September 2026
We are currently looking for two additional Trustees (voluntary, part time) with the skills and experience to enable us to thrive as an organisation and to help us to deliver projects which meet our strategic aims, including greater recognition for heritage craftspeople and better access to craft education and training.
Please note that prior Trustee experience is not compulsory, with support to be made available for less experienced candidates.
We are particularly looking for Trustees skilled or experienced in any of the following areas and with an enthusiasm to bring these skills to bear for the benefit of the organisation:
• Lived experience of heritage crafts
• Cultural / educational sector policy
• Advocacy / campaigning
• Public relations / media liaison
• Charity law / commercial law
• Fundraising (bid writing and/or philanthropy)
• Human resources
• Research (academic or commercial)
However, we will also consider applications from exceptional individuals with other skills and enthusiasms, especially those with a particular insight into an under-represented community within the UK.
For more details and to apply visit https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-stories/announcements/trustee-opportunities/ or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for this year’s Emerging Embroiderer of the Year Award supported by the Broderers’ Company. This award celebrates the talent, patience, and intricate skill of those at the beginning of their professional journey. 🪡🧵
• Sophie Boylan @soyasophie – textile artist, embroidery designer and 2025 winner of the Emerging Embroiderer of the Year Award, Sophie trained at the London College of Fashion, Royal College of Art, and CHANEL / King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Fellowship. Her groundbreaking practice blends heritage hand-stitching with plant-based agar, cellulose and recycled organic embellishments to replace toxic plastic sequins.
• Hanny Newton @hannynewton – internationally renowned hand embroiderer Hanny trained at the Royal School of Needlework and Falmouth University. Specialising in contemporary goldwork, Hanny is celebrated for pushing the boundaries of traditional metal thread techniques into abstract, expressive art. Since 2024, she has been pioneering research into using raw straw as a sustainable alternative to gold thread.
• Niamh Wimperis @wimperisembroidery – embroidery artist, author and full-time maker, niamh is known for her distinctive botanical-inspired designs and feminist artwork, and gained widespread recognition as a contestant on BBC2’s The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts. Through her business, Wimperis Embroidery, she produces popular beginner-friendly subscription kits and workshops designed to make the therapeutic art of stitching accessible to all.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, we are also running similar awards in crafts, such as weaving and upholstery, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by Rose Uniacke, House of Sonnaz and others.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/emerging-embroiderer-of-the-year/
📷 2025 finalist Alice Long @alicelong.studio
Over seven posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent Endangered Crafts Fund round.
Stone lapidarist Robin Girling of @selinijewellery in Lancashire has been funded to expand his practice into the critically endangered craft of traditional diamond cutting. While he already possesses exceptional expertise in faceting, shaping and polishing gemstones, transitioning to diamond cutting requires incredibly specialised machinery and tools.
Traditional hand-cutting skills are at serious risk of disappearing in the UK as the wider industry increasingly shifts toward high-tech mechanisation. This grant will contribute towards purchasing specialist diamond cutting machinery and setting up a dedicated workshop environment, allowing Robin to build true technical mastery over diamond-specific optical properties and cutting angles.
Robin’s five-year vision is not just about his own practice; he aims to use this workshop to establish a structured training pathway to pass these skills to the next generation of craftspeople.
This round’s grants are funded by the Julia Rausing Trust and a private donor.
Robin said: “Receiving this support from Heritage Crafts is incredibly meaningful. It not only helps me develop the endangered craft of diamond cutting in the UK, but also recognises the importance of preserving these traditional skills for the future. I’m honoured by their support and excited to see where this project leads.”
We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for our Scotand Maker of the Year Award.
• Steve Byrne @byrnesteve – ethnologist, musician and Chief Executive of @tracscotland, Steve is a graduate of Edinburgh University’s School of Scottish Studies. He has spent decades researching, digitising and performing Scottish folklore, folksong and intangible cultural heritage, and has spearheaded major national heritage initiatives. He is the author of Mapping Intangible Heritage in Scotland.
• Mark Shiner @sailmaker_shiner – master sailmaker, Curriculum Leader for Maritime Studies at UHI Orkney, Mark won both the Scotland and UK Maker of the Year Awards in 2025. He is one of the nation’s few remaining traditional sailmakers, preserving centuries-old lofting and hand-sewing techniques without reliance on computer automation. Through his internationally renowned courses he teaches maritime hand skills to students worldwide.
• Trejayne @trejayne – Using social media to document her creative journey to master flameworker, Trejayne has built a global community of millions, inspiring a younger generation to engage with heritage crafts. She became a full-time maker through crafting whimsical, pop-culture-inspired glass art, and has recently undertaken a prestigious scholarship at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York.
We want to recognise a heritage craftsperson in Scotand who has made an outstanding contribution in the past 12 months. Whether you’ve pushed your craft to new heights or worked tirelessly to promote its survival, we want to champion the simple, humble and essential skills that define our communities.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, one winner from the four UK nations will have their prize topped up to £2,000, supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/scotland-maker-of-the-year-award/
📷 2025 winner Mark Shiner’s
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Leather Craft and Creative Workshop Apprentice
Where: London
Deadline: 28 August 2026
@amameliematignon is a small, creative leather and cork accessories business based in London. This is an exciting opportunity to learn traditional leathercraft while gaining valuable experience in running a creative business.
As an apprentice, you will support the production of handmade leather and cork products, prepare materials for workshops, assist in delivering creative workshops for schools, charities, council, community groups and corporate clients, and help with the day to day running of the studio. You will also gain experience in product development, customer service, event preparation and social media.
No previous leather working experience is required, although an interest in craft, design or making is desirable. They are looking for someone who is creative, reliable, enthusiastic, organised and confident communicating with people of all ages. A positive attitude and willingness to learn are more important than experience.
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.
We are delighted to announce our expert judging panel for our Northern Ireland Maker of the Year Award, supported by @mournetextiles.
• Katherine McDonald – having served as the Director of @craft.ni since April 2019, Katherine brings a wealth of leadership experience from across the voluntary and social enterprise sectors. At the helm of Craft NI, she acts as a powerful strategic champion for the contemporary craft sector, ensuring that Northern Irish makers receive the institutional advocacy, visibility and structural support they need to thrive.
• Mario Sierra – Representing the third generation of an iconic textile lineage, Mario leads Mourne Textiles from their historic workshop in County Down. He grew up immersed in the craft, learning from his master-weaver mother and carrying forward the pioneering mid-century legacy of his grandmother. Today, Mario seamlessly bridges traditional heritage and modern design, revitalising archival patterns on vintage power looms.
• Deborah White @deborahwhite7481 – an award-winning master hand-loom linen damask weaver, researcher and academic with nearly three decades of design expertise, Deborah won the Northern Ireland Maker of the Year Award in 2025. Through an Endangered Crafts Fund grant, she painstakingly restored the historic ‘Royal Loom’ – bringing broad-loom damask weaving back to Ulster for the first time in sixty years.
We want to recognise a heritage craftsperson in Northern Ireland who has made an outstanding contribution in the past 12 months. Whether you’ve pushed your craft to new heights or worked tirelessly to promote its survival, we want to champion the simple, humble and essential skills that define our communities.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, one winner from the four UK nations will have their prize topped up to £2,000, supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/northern-ireland-maker-of-the-year-award/
📷 2025 winner Deborah White
