The Capital of Craft LIVE

On Friday March 8th we will be bringing our popular podcast to life at Craft Festival Cheltenham. The Capital of Craft is a complimentary event for ticket holders. Simply book your seat below.

11am A Future for Heritage Craft with Mary Eluned Lewis, Endangered Crafts Manager, Heritage Crafts BOOK YOUR SEAT

Mary will introduce the Red List and the wide range of crafts that are represented on the list, and also how it has become a focus for positive change and has increased recognition of the vital role that crafts play in the diverse cultural heritage of the UK. 

From blacksmithing to basketry, from weaving to woodturning, we have an incredible range of heritage craft skills in the UK and some of the best craftspeople in the world. But many of these skills are in the hands of individuals who have been unable to make provision to pass them on. The Heritage Crafts Red List of Endangered Crafts, first published in 2017 and now on it's fourth edition, was the first report of its kind to rank traditional crafts by the likelihood they would survive to the next generation, based on intangible cultural heritage safeguarding principles. 

As the Endangered Crafts Manager, Mary is the lead researcher for the Red List and also oversees a range of projects to prevent heritage crafts skills and knowledge from becoming extinct. She is also Chair of the Ironbridge Coracle Trust and a basket maker. 

1pm Intelligent Hands : Why Making is a Skill for Life with Katy Bevan and Charlotte Abrahams BOOK YOUR SEAT

Making is good for us. Using our hands benefits our cognitive development, improves our mental agility and can have a positive impact on our mental health, too. Making is implicated in managing fidgeting and poor behaviour in schools. Research has shown that even a small amount of creative activity can help to regulate behaviour, and improve executive functions. We know this, intuitively and intellectually yet, recent years have seen a decline in craft and creative education in schools (60% fewer young people have taken art and design GCSE over the last 12 years) and a shift from practical to theoretical learning models in higher education.

Join the authors Charlotte Abrahams and Katy Bevan, for an in-depth discussion about the importance of craft in our lives.

3pm Silversmith's Secrets with Brenton West BOOK YOUR SEAT

Brenton is one of the skilled repairers from BBC's The Repair Shop. He will be talking with Susie Galbraith about his career in making and what it's like to a repairer on such an iconic TV programme.

The Capital of Craft LIVE is a complimentary event and is included in your ticket price. The talks are located on the Stage in the Main Hall. There are 4 steps up to the stage.

*NB Due to other engagements, Keith Brymer-Jones will not be attending Craft Festival in March. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.*