Heritage Crafts

Heritage Crafts, legally registered as The Heritage Crafts Association, is a United Kingdom charity dedicated to sustaining traditional craft skills and the people who practise them. The organisation works across the heritage-craft sector rather than selling a conventional consumer product. Its activities combine advocacy, research, public information, membership, recognition programmes, and support for endangered skills. The organisation emerged from concern about the vulnerability of traditional crafts, including skills dependent on long apprenticeships, specialist tools, small markets, scarce raw materials, or individual practitioners. It was launched at the Victoria and Albert Museum in March 2010 with a membership programme intended to bring together craft practitioners, supporters, researchers, educators, and members of the public. Its founders included professional wood turner Robin Wood MBE, scribe, calligrapher, and illuminator Patricia Lovett MBE, and Daniel Carpenter, who later became its executive director. Before the formal launch, the organisation helped initiate a 30-minute adjournment debate in the House of Commons in June 2009 concerning the condition of traditional crafts. A central part of Heritage Crafts' public role is the Red List of Endangered Crafts. First produced in 2017 in association with The Radcliffe Trust, the Red List identifies traditional craft skills in the United Kingdom according to their level of endangerment. Later editions appeared in 2019, 2021, and 2023; the 2023 edition received funding from The Pilgrim Trust. The project gives visibility to crafts that may have very small practitioner communities and provides a basis for discussion about training, succession, documentation, materials, markets, and public policy. Its subject matter has also reached wider audiences through media coverage, including BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. Heritage Crafts also administers recognition and support initiatives. In 2020, its patron, then the Prince of Wales, launched the President's Award for Endangered Crafts. The award has recognised practitioners and workshops associated with endangered skills, including Ernest Wright, the Sheffield scissors maker, in 2020; watchmaker Dr Rebecca Struthers in 2021; and pargeter Johanna Welsh in 2022. These awards help connect individual craft expertise with the wider public argument for safeguarding traditional making. The charity operated under the name Heritage Crafts Association during its earlier period and has used the shorter name Heritage Crafts since October 2021. King Charles III is its patron, continuing the patronage associated with his earlier role as Prince of Wales following the royal succession. Its ambassadors include furniture restorer and television presenter Will Kirk, textile designer Kaffe Fassett, archaeologist and broadcaster Alex Langlands, and designer and academic Rose Sinclair MBE. The organisation's positioning is therefore cultural and charitable: it acts as an advocate, information source, network, and safeguarding body for traditional crafts in the United Kingdom.

Heritage Crafts is the operating name of The Heritage Crafts Association, a UK registered charity concerned with the survival of traditional craft skills. The organisation's development followed public and policy concern about the fragility of craft practices that rely on small practitioner communities, long training periods, specialist equipment, or diminishing commercial demand. In June 2009, Heritage Crafts helped bring the state of traditional crafts to parliamentary attention through a 30-minute adjournment debate in the House of Commons. The charity was then launched at the Victoria and Albert Museum in March 2010, accompanied by a membership programme for supporters. Its founders included Robin Wood MBE, a professional wood turner; Patricia Lovett MBE, a scribe, calligrapher, and illuminator; and Daniel Carpenter, who became the organisation's executive director. The charity's work has combined advocacy with practical knowledge gathering. In 2017, working with The Radcliffe Trust, it produced the first Red List of Endangered Crafts. The publication sought to identify and classify traditional UK crafts according to their degree of risk, drawing attention to skills whose continuation could be threatened by a lack of apprentices, practitioners, markets, materials, or institutional support. Updated editions followed in 2019, 2021, and 2023. The later edition was funded by The Pilgrim Trust, and the Red List's findings received broader public exposure through media coverage including Woman's Hour. Recognition of individual practitioners became another strand of the organisation's work in 2020, when the President's Award for Endangered Crafts was launched by the then Prince of Wales. The first recipients were Ernest Wright scissor makers in 2020, watchmaker Dr Rebecca Struthers in 2021, and pargeter Johanna Welsh in 2022. The awards provide a public platform for craftspeople whose work contributes to the survival of vulnerable skills. The organisation has also developed a public-facing network of patronage and ambassadors. King Charles III is its patron, continuing the role associated with his presidency as Prince of Wales after the royal succession. Listed ambassadors include Will Kirk, Kaffe Fassett, Alex Langlands, and Rose Sinclair MBE. Since October 2021, the charity has operated publicly under the name Heritage Crafts rather than Heritage Crafts Association. Its continuing purpose is to advocate for traditional crafts, support their practitioners, document their condition, and encourage the transmission of skills to future generations.

• 2023

  Fourth Red List edition

  [1]Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org

  The 2023 Red List was published with support from The Pilgrim Trust.

• 2022

  Patronage confirmed after royal succession

  [1]Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org

  King Charles III's patronage was confirmed through the review following the royal succession.

• 2021

  Third Red List and rebrand

  [1]Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org

  A new Red List edition was published, and the organisation began using Heritage Crafts as its operating name from October.

• 2020

  President's Award introduced

  [1]Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org

  The President's Award for Endangered Crafts was launched, with Ernest Wright scissor makers receiving the inaugural award.

• 2019

  Second Red List edition

  [1]Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org

  Heritage Crafts issued a revised edition documenting endangered traditional craft skills.

• 2017

  First Red List of Endangered Crafts

  [1]Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org

  The first Red List was published in association with The Radcliffe Trust.

• 2010

  Formal launch

  [1]Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org

  The charity launched at the Victoria and Albert Museum and introduced a membership programme.

• 2009

  Parliamentary debate on traditional crafts

  [1]Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org

  Heritage Crafts initiated a 30-minute adjournment debate in the House of Commons on the condition of traditional crafts.

A UK charitable heritage organisation focused on protecting traditional craft skills, raising awareness of endangered practices, and supporting practitioners, training, and continuity.

• Research publication · 2017

  Red List of Endangered Crafts

  A recurring assessment of traditional craft skills in the United Kingdom, identifying practices according to their level of endangerment. The Red List is intended to improve visibility, inform safeguarding discussions, and draw attention to problems such as limited training routes, ageing practitioner populations, specialist material shortages, and weak markets.

• Award programme · 2020

  President's Award for Endangered Crafts

  A recognition programme for practitioners and workshops contributing to the survival of endangered traditional craft skills. It was launched in 2020 by the then Prince of Wales and has recognised Ernest Wright scissor makers, Dr Rebecca Struthers, and Johanna Welsh.

• Membership and supporter service · 2010

  Membership programme

  A supporter and membership structure introduced when the organisation was launched. It provides a public mechanism for people interested in traditional craft heritage to associate with and support the charity's work.

• 2017Red List of Endangered Crafts

  United Kingdom

  A research and awareness initiative created with The Radcliffe Trust to identify traditional craft skills at risk of disappearing.

  Outcome. The Red List was subsequently repeated in 2019, 2021, and 2023 and became a continuing part of Heritage Crafts' public work.

  Source
• 2009House of Commons traditional-crafts advocacy

  United Kingdom

  Heritage Crafts helped initiate a parliamentary adjournment debate addressing the condition and future of traditional crafts.

  Outcome. The issue received formal parliamentary attention; no further outcome is specified in the available source material.

  Source

• 2021

  Adoption of Heritage Crafts operating nameStrategy

  Background

  The charity had previously operated as the Heritage Crafts Association.

  Action taken

  From October 2021, it began operating under the shorter name Heritage Crafts.

  Aftermath

  The legal registration remained The Heritage Crafts Association while the shorter name became the public-facing identity.

  Source

• 2020

  Launch of the President's Award for Endangered CraftsOther

  Background

  Heritage Crafts sought to recognise individual contributions to the safeguarding of endangered traditional skills.

  Action taken

  The President's Award for Endangered Crafts was launched by the then Prince of Wales.

  Aftermath

  The award recognised Ernest Wright scissor makers in 2020, Dr Rebecca Struthers in 2021, and Johanna Welsh in 2022.

  Source

1. 1Heritage Craftsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Heritage Crafts official websiteheritagecrafts.org.uk