This opportunity is open to individuals based in Sussex, with a preference for those working in traditional building conservation and heritage trades. In addition to financial support for training, the successful applicant will receive tailored one-to-one mentoring from the expert team at Heritage Crafts.
The 2025 training bursary follows last year’s inaugural bursary awarded through the partnership – to lime plasterer Joseph Lancaster from East Sussex to train in lime plastering at Ty-Mawr Lime and Carrington Lime. This was on top of 11 previous grants funded by Sussex Heritage Trust as part of Heritage Crafts’ Endangered Crafts Fund, set up to provide grants to help practitioners listed on the Red List of Endangered Crafts overcome the obstacles they are facing in running otherwise viable businesses.
The UK has an incredible range of heritage craft skills, from basketmaking and boatbuilding to musical instrument making and stained glass, along with some of the finest craftspeople in the world. But many of these skills are in the hands of individuals who have been unable to pass them on, often due to limited training opportunities and the increasing burdens put upon small businesses, leaving a number of traditional British crafts under threat.
The 2023 edition of the Red List of Endangered Crafts produced by Heritage Crafts showed that 62 crafts were classified as critically endangered and a further 84 as endangered. But it’s not all bad news; some crafts, such as green woodworking, have seen a resurgence thanks to support from Heritage Crafts and a heightened appreciation of the handmade among the general public.
For more information on how to apply for the bursary and other offered by Heritage Crafts visit www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/opportunities/training-bursaries (deadline June 27).