Endangered Sussex crafts
Heritage Crafts and the Sussex Heritage Trust are delighted to announce another round of grants of up to £2,000 to help save endangered crafts such as brick-making, masonry flintknapping and hurdlemaking from extinction.
In 2023, Heritage Crafts published the fourth edition of its groundbreaking Red List of Endangered Crafts, the first research of its kind to rank the UK’S traditional crafts by the likelihood that they will survive into the next generation. The report assessed 259 crafts to ascertain those which are at greatest risk of disappearing, of which 62 were classified as 'critically endangered' and a further 84 as ‘endangered’.
Helen Reeve, CEO of the Sussex Heritage Trust said: “At a time when over 20 building conservation crafts have been identified on the Red List of Endangered Crafts as ‘at risk’, it is more important than ever that we, with Heritage Crafts, continue to support Sussexbased craftspeople." Thanks to a partnership with the Sussex Heritage Trust, grants are being ring-fenced to Sussex-based practitioners of endangered crafts on the red list, administered through the Endangered
Crafts Fund. To date 12 practitioners in Sussex have been funded including a rake maker, a wallpaper maker, and a gilder. There is a maximum of £2,000 available for each project and Heritage Crafts will work with applicants to develop and support their work. Projects could include investing in more efficient machinery, developing new routes to market, taking on a trainee or apprentice, or other innovative approaches to support endangered crafts. The fund is now open with a deadline of March 22. Applications can be submitted at heritagecrafts.org.uk/ecf-apply – please note this is a competitive process and not all applications will receivefunding.potentialapplicantswhowouldliketotalkover an idea can email tess@heritagecrafts.org.uk
Mary Lewis, Heritage Crafts endangered crafts manager, said: “During the energy crisis and cost-of-living crisis our craft skills are at more risk than ever before. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Sussex Heritage Trust to address the specific challenges craftspeople are facing in Sussex, a region renowned for its craftsmanship and material heritage.”