Carpenters chosen to protect the past

25/07/2012

Tom (left) and Paul (right) pictured with the steeple

Two local carpenters who completed their training at Central Sussex College have become the first two beneficiaries of a new bursary scheme.

With traditional building crafts in decline across the UK, Sussex Heritage Trust has designed the scheme to help young craftspeople embarking on careers in traditional construction techniques.

Paul Nickless, 23, and Tom Westgate, 20, recently completed their Level 3 Construction Diploma in Site Carpentry. After excelling in the workshop, tutor David Hartsilver nominated them to work on a scale model of a classic church steeple. The three day course will be run at The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum near Chichester, providing an introduction to the care and preservation of historic timber-framed structures under the watchful eye of Richard Harris, a former Director of the Museum and visiting Professor at the University of Chichester.

Tom said: "In our everyday jobs, we tend to work on modern buildings so this type of work has been really interesting and enlightening." Paul added: "This is a real opportunity for us to keep some of the traditional building techniques alive, which I think is very important for our generation."