Nicola Laird

Nicola has been part of the kiltmaking industry for 32 years and is well respected among her peers. She originally developed all of her business through word of mouth and still to this day has customers coming to her for family kilts who first purchased from her 30 years ago. Nicola has been teaching the craft of kiltmaking for 8 years and has taught over 100 students, many of whom have been hobby sewers or have lived abroad. She also currently has two apprentices working with her who she hopes will carry on this traditional craft. Nicola is an advocate for her craft and is keen to raise awareness of its importance and why it should not be lost. Many of her former students have reported that they are finally being paid properly for the kilts they create, a dedication to the way they have been taught, and Nicola hopes that this reimbursement will encourage a younger generation to take up the craft. She is also producing a book on kiltmaking, which she hopes will be a useful resource for the continuation of the craft. When she first started teaching, Nicola’s peers were worried that an influx of new people to the craft would take away their business, but she has helped them to realise that teaching more people this traditional craft will only help to protect it for the future. 

Andrew Grudon

Andrew is a specialist in the rare craft of hand painting, lettering and carving of pictorial signs. He has established an international reputation at the forefront of the revival of this work, particularly in his painting of pub signs. In 1998 he was awarded the sign-making contract for St Austell Brewery and still produces all of their pictorials to this day. Each sign is bespoke and helps to promote the continuation of the iconic swinging sign outside British pubs. Andrew is a member of The Letterheads, an international group of professional signwriters whose mission is to pass on trade ‘secrets’ and skills through the ages, keeping their craft alive for future generations. Andrew’s clients speak to the excellence of his craft and he has created signs for customers all over the world including the Tower of London and television companies. He has taken people on in his workshop as apprentices, including a young person who had been in difficult times but earned a National Vocational Qualification under Andrew’s tutelage and now runs his own business in signwriting. Andrew’s skills have become renowned internationally and have resulted in him sharing his knowledge with practitioners through direct enquiries and on social media. He is passionate about the traditional methods that he uses in his work and has dedicated his life to the pursuit of his craft. 

Photograph credits to Stefen Jakubowski and Heritage Crafts.

Hannah McAndrew

Hannah has a degree in Three-Dimensional Design and, using this, moved to Scotland to undertake an apprenticeship with a highly regarded slipware potter where her skills were honed to an extent that she became the mainstay of the workshops production. Since 2009, Hannah has won an array of Awards in ceramics and design and was selected as a Fellow of the Craft Potters’ Association.  In 2003, she started her own workshop to give demonstrations to students both in person and online. She was invited to deliver a six-month programme to four young apprentices by their regional arts association. In 2021, she was invited to produce a film for the Ceramics Congress where professionals demonstrate their skills and teach their techniques to an audience across the world. This year she is exhibiting at Contemporary Ceramics in London which is the gallery of the Craft Potters’ Association and has also been invited to be part of an international ceramic makers Auction House. Hannah has also had her piece ‘This is England’ accepted into the permanent collection of Centre of Ceramic Art in the York Art Gallery. Hannah’s work references classical form and uses traditional techniques while also being produced with her own ‘accent’.  

Tracey Sheppard

Tracey is a glass engraver and current President of the Guild of Glass Engravers. She has exhibited in all Guild National Exhibitions since 1983 and has won numerous Awards and prizes. She originally took up glass engraving at evening classes while studying in 1980. Tracey teaches at a number of colleges and creates demonstration videos on behalf of the Guild of Glass Engravers. During the past 12 months, Tracey has done all she can to maintain her teaching, keeping in touch with her students and bringing people together online for interactive sessions. She has fulfilled several commissioned works and participated in London Craft Week where she was one of only two glass engravers who were involved in that event. Her work has been presented in royal collections, the parliamentary collection and other prestigious collections across the country. Tracey is always approachable, welcoming and curious, she has carried the light forward to inspire and nurture future glass engravers to help ensure the future of the craft.