Our very best wishes to Paul Ashmore and Rowan Taylor who both received awards at the National Heritage Ironwork Group (NHIG) awards ceremony last month. Both Paul and Rowan were on placement here at Ironart earlier in 2013 and have now graduated from the second and final year of the NHIG Heritage Blacksmiths Bursary programme. The training was the first of its kind in the UK and set up by the NHIG as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) Skills for the future programme.

The prizes awarded were ‘Best Blacksmith’ which went to Paul Ashmore, and for ‘Best Portfolio’ which went to Rowan Taylor.  For information on the National Heritage Ironwork Group please take a look at the website: www.nhig.org.uk