Heritage crafts awards recognise makers’
talents, skills and experience
Saturday 9 May 2015
A shoemaker, a lacemaker, and a letter carver were among the people
recognised for their contribution to heritage crafts at the Heritage Crafts
Association annual conference at the V&A in London on 9 May.
Almost 200 people attended the conference, A Place for Craft, which focused on the
relationship between location and heritage crafts. The day included talks from a
range of speakers, a display of tools brought and displayed by makers attending the
conference, and an opportunity for makers to pitch their products to Genevieve
Sioka, artisan buyer for the National Trust. The conference was part of the first
London Craft Week, a celebration of makers and craftspeople across London.
This was the second year a suite of awards was made specifically for heritage crafts.
The awards were made by the Heritage Crafts Association in partnership with Queen
Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), Marsh Christian Trust, National Association of
Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS). Other award recipients include:

Shoemaker Bethan Horn was awarded an HCA/QEST Training Bursary. This
will enable her to build on her training and become an ‘at the bench’
apprentice, learning from a master craftswoman, Ruth Davey, of RED Shoes.

Jean Leader was nominated by the Lace Guild for her voluntary work in
promoting and supporting lacemakers. She created the first website for
lacemakers and worked with museum curators to identify and catalogue lace
collections. She was awarded the Marsh Volunteer of the Year.

Charles Trevor received the Marsh Made in Britain award for his contribution
to handmade leathergoods industry in the UK. Established in 2008, Equus
Leather makes luxury leather goods, entirely by hand (including hand
stitching) using traditional tools and techniques.

Mary English was awarded the Marsh Trainer of the Year. Mary has worked
in ceramics for more than 25 years and has trained more than 500 children
and adults. Mary specialises in pit-fired ceramics and several of her trainees
now instruct others in this traditional method.

Letter carver Luke Batchelor received the HCA/NADFAS Heritage Crafts
Bursary to enable him to continue learning his trade and travel to Italy to
develop his skills in letter carving in Carrara marble and study ancient
lettering.

Hat block maker Owen Morse Brown was awarded the HCA Maker of the
Year. With a background in making musical instruments, Owen began making
hat blocks in 2007 and has more than doubled sales from 77k in 2008 to 195k
in 2014. In 2013 Owen launched a new collection of hat blocks and has
promoted blocking and millinery through demonstrations, talks, shows and
fairs. He is passionate about passing on hat blocking skills.
Letter cutter Lida Kindersley MBE and arrowsmith and historical metal worker
Hector Cole MBE were presented with certificates to mark their inclusion in the New
Year’s Honours List earlier this year.
Attendees at the conference also heard from a range of entertaining and informative
speakers, including:

Sir Christopher Frayling

Mark Hogarth, creative director, Harris Tweed Hebrides

Genevieve Sioka, artisan and craft buyer, National Trust

Felicity Irons, weaver and rush-cutter

Richard Eaton, potter and design director at Denby pottery

Veronica Main, significant collections curator, Luton Culture
The Heritage Crafts Awards celebrate and highlight the traditional living crafts made
in the UK that contribute to our national heritage. These crafts include weaving;
wood turning; basket making; furniture making and upholstery; shoe making; metal,
stone and clay crafts; textile crafts such as embroidery, knitting and lace making;
lettering crafts; boat building.
For more details about the HCA Awards, please visit
http://awards.heritagecrafts.org.uk/
- ENDS -
Notes to editors:
About the Heritage Crafts Association:
The Heritage Crafts Association is a rapidly growing organisation. Founded in 2009, it
gained charitable status in 2010, HRH The Prince of Wales became President in 2011. The
HCA is the advocacy body for traditional heritage crafts, working in partnership with
Government and key agencies, providing a focus for craftspeople, groups, societies and
guilds, as well as individuals who care about preserving traditional crafts skills and working
towards a healthy and sustainable framework for the future. The HCA is registered with the
Charity Commission as charity number 1133646.
www.heritagecrafts.org.uk
Twitter:
@heritage_crafts
#HCAplaceforcraft
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/heritagecraftsassociation