A ROSS-ON-WYE-based company is one of 445 heritage organisations across the country set to receive a lifesaving financial boost from the government thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.

445 organisations will share £103 million, including The Woodcraft Project to help restart vital reconstruction work and maintenance on cherished heritage sites, keeping venues open and supporting those working in the sector.

The Woodcraft Project ltd is a local company based near Ross on Wye, Herefordshire which is run by Dominic and Anne Brady, along with their team, who specialise in the restoration and refurbishment of timber frame heritage buildings as well as the construction of new timber frame buildings using traditional methods to preserve the craft and therefore the historic buildings for future generations.

The Woodcraft Project will be putting the money awarded by the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage to good use, setting up a new local initiative for the training and teaching of heritage crafts and skills, with the new outdoor woodland training base called `Heartwood` .

The Woodcraft Project aim to use Heartwood Teaching Grounds to share not just their knowledge in heritage crafts, but that of skilled craft folk from all over the world to teach people heritage crafts such as, Timber framing, Round pole building, green wood working and sustainable woodland coppicing to name but a few.

Their clients include Duchy estates, The National trust and Eastnor Castle as well as private clients up and down the country who share their appreciation of historic timber frame buildings, from small barns to historic timber frame monuments. .

This vital funding is from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund - funded by Government and administered at arms length by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Both funds are part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund which is designed to secure the future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues with emergency grants and loans.

Dominic Brady, Director at The Woodcraft Project said: “With visitors restricted and so many heritage sites closed, revenue has been completely cut off over night and all restoration projects have ceased, putting some of these sites in danger of permanent closure or worse. The funding is a lifeline to both the heritage sites themselves and those skilled craftspeople who rely on them for their livelihood.

“We at the Woodcraft Project feel priviledged to have been chosen to set up `Heartwood Teaching Grounds` to enable us not only to train new people in Historic crafts, but also provide a much needed income for some of the skilled craftspeople who so passionately work to keep our heritage alive, our crafts handed down to future generations and our historic buildings beautiful.”