I am sure folk who have been following the progress of the Heritage Crafts Association will be delighted to know we have been offered use of the V&A for our press launch and forum in March. Mark Jones director of the V&A is as concerned about the loss of hand skills as we are. On a personal level his daughter…
Back in February the Heritage Crafts Association were contacted about a new BBC TV series on traditional crafts. Mastercrafts fronted by Monty Don is now on its way and details are on the BBC website here http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/mastercrafts/ Here is a trailer
Yesterday I spent in London talking to as many people as possible trying to pass on the message that traditional crafts in Britain need a little help. At present they fall outside the remit of all government departments and all public agencies. This means no funding and no support. The Landscape has Natural England as lead body.The Built Heritage is…
On the train to London again tomorrow for a meeting with Dr Jo Reilly, Head of Participation and Learning at the Heritage Lottery Fund. We are hoping she may be able to help us with some funding for the Heritage Crafts Association. Saturday is HCA committee meeting day so I stay in London, back home for Sunday then down for…
Since I became aware of the web every few months or so I scan around to see what happens if you look for traditional craft on the web. I have always been hugely impressed and inspired by the things I see going on in other countries and rather saddened by the lack of information on British traditional crafts. The situation…
I first heard about Patterson’s many years ago whilst I was still working for the National Trust as a forester. It was an unusual property for the Trust to take on because it was relatively modern industrial heritage. On Tuesday I finally got to visit. I was in Northern Ireland partly to work on the forthcoming National Occupational Standards for…
Nice article out today in the September issue of Craft and Design magazine. The editor Angie Boyer has been very supportive of the Heritage Crafts Association and following this article we hope to run a series on traditional craftspeople with one featured each issue, so if you know of someone doing a traditional craft that could do with a bit…
Tuesday was another meetings in London day. We had excellent meetings with English Heritage, NADFAS and ICON all of whom are supportive of what the Heritage Crafts Association are trying to achieve. We were given some good new contacts and ideas. One particularly interesting idea was looking at how English Heritage are already beginning to use heritage crafts skills (and…
I just downloaded some pictures I took on my last London trip for the the Heritage Crafts Association committee meeting last Sunday. We meet in a basement room just round the corner from Charing Cross which is kindly provided free of charge for us. Charing Cross tube station has rather nice artwork with images of medieval craftsmen at work and…
At the Heritage Crafts Association we are delighted that less than six months from our formation we have seen the state of traditional crafts debated in the House of Commons with the Culture Minister answering questions. Speaking at an adjournment debate on Traditional Crafts in the House of Commons this Thursday Barbara Follett said: “We are keen that the rich…
