Fight to keep craft skills alive

Molten lead is used in the casting process

It's hard enough to find a builder to revamp your kitchen.

So imagine the difficulties in finding somebody with the skills to restore a 1,000-year-old church.

The big challenge facing firms involved in restoration is how to attract the craftsmen - and women - of the future.

Some of the projects Leicester-based Norman & Underwood works on are steeped in history - Westminster Abbey, Salisbury Cathedral and Chatsworth House, to name a few.

Still, the company is no spring chicken itself, having been founded in 1825.

Short supply

Skilled craftsmen piece together fragile stained glass windows and make the lead in a traditional lead casting process.

But workers with these specialised skills are in short supply.

So the company has had to ensure it has the right employees for the future.

Norman & Underwood takes on young apprentices and trains them in-house, relying on the current workforce to pass on their knowledge.

Kim Logue: Took up apprenticeship

They learn how to master the skills needed to restore historic buildings - something they take great pride in.

"I enjoyed working with lead at college and had the opportunity to take up an apprenticeship here," says apprentice Kim Logue.

"I like working outside and working here gives me a lot of opportunity to work on rooves and a lot of listed buildings and beautiful places as well."

University

Vicki List is another apprentice with the company; she joined after completing a degree in design studies at university.

"I think it's important to learn the basic skills," she says.

Martin Paing: Six years to learn skills

"You can't get to the top without learning the basic skills that come from the bottom."

Martin Paing spent six years learning how to work in stained glass.

"There's not many people do it now," he says.

"Twenty or 30 years ago there were a few big companies but that's died out and there's just a few smaller firms now."

So it can become a vicious circle - the industry needs to recruit but there are fewer places to work.

However, the rewards can be appealing - up to £40,000 for a highly skilled worker, rising to £70,000 for those working in London.

And Norman & Underwood's success in attracting young people shows that there's every hope these ancient skills will survive for at least a few more generations.