RESTORATION SKILLS WILL BE SAVED

Government asks for your help in passing down key abilities to the next generation

The UK's £3 billion classic car industry is to enjoy more protection thanks to the ratification of a

2003 UNESCO Convention aimed at preserving traditional crafts.

The expertise needed to keep our cars on the road won't be allowed to die out after the government signed an international pledge saying so.

Last year, our historic vehicle sector received a boost when the government finally recognised the 2003 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, otherwise known as 'living heritage'.

Classic car preservation falls into one of five categories identified by the UNESCO Convention: that of traditional craftsmanship. To that end, restorers, specialists and clubs are to receive greater recognition for the roles they play. To better understand those skills most important to our hobby, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) has opened a public consultation, closing on February 29.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Minister, Arts and Heritage, said: "These crafts, customs, and celebrations have helped to shape our communities and bring people together, who continue to shape them in turn."

Niche skillsets crucial to the preservation of veteran and vintage cars, already monitored by national charity, Heritage Crafts, are to receive more governmental attention when the Convention is ratified. "Intangible Cultural Heritage is far broader, crosses different cultural sectors, has less criteria, and is owned by people themselves," the DCMS consultation guiding principles stated.

As monocoque cars age, methods of repair further diverge from those of modern vehicles. The Heritage Skills

Academy at Bicester Heritage and Brooklands has helped to ensured that key skills are not forgotten through OFQUAL-recognised curriculums, while the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs's research programmes, including the National Historic Vehicle Survey, gauges the well-being of the classic vehicle sector every five years.

There are 182 other countries that are already UNESCO member states, and Heritage Crafts has been pushing for the UK to ratify the Convention for 14 years. In 2017, it began its Red List of Endangered Crafts, a research project gathering information on the skills at risk of disappearing altogether.

The Association of Heritage Engineers (AoHE), an organisation dedicated to preserving key hand tool skills (including those used to restore classic cars) is to carry out a survey of its own to determine which engineering skills are most vulnerable. Its managing director, Dominic Taylor-Lane, was excited at what the ratification of the Convention meant for classic car owners.

"By ratifying this Convention, the UK will be able to celebrate treasured traditions from every corner of Britain, support the people who practise them, and ensure they are passed down for future generations to enjoy, giving the opportunity to organisations such as Heritage Crafts and AoHE to put the case for individual skill sets to UNESCO for the status offered by the convention," he said. "In the case of the classic vehicle sector these may well include wood framing, metal working and engineering processes," he continued. "AOHE will be approaching a number of organisations and companies to get their thoughts and opinions on how it might benefit

British craftspeople and artisans within the automotive heritage sector."

HOW TO TAKE PART

The DCMS consultation: tinyurl.com/523vdysc

Email: IntangibleCultural Heritage @dcms.gov.uk