On Saturday 8th October Vanessa and I were invited to Coleshill, near Swindon, to visit an heritage plastering courses in action. The Plaisterers' Charity supports these courses through a bursary that pays for three students places on each course. It was therefore a great delight to meet the three recipients on this course.
Our very own Freeman, Sean Wheatley along with Freeman Michal Wolf, were leading the course; it was fascinating to see their skills in action not only in showing how to apply lime plastering on to walls but also how to create cornicing on a ceiling using plaster of Paris. These skills are vital for new and young heritage Plaisterers to learn, not only for their careers but also to ensure the skills live on for future generations.
I could see that all the students were really enjoying the course, not just ‘our’ three. One of our bursary students remarked to me that the skills he was learning would help him immeasurably in his work; he was learning new skills and improving on his own professionalism.
It was clear to me that the Plaisterers support for these hugely worthwhile courses is something we should continue to do for as long as the Charity Trustees felt able.
