The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced the introduction of a £4m Training Bursary Scheme to address the shortage of essential heritage skills such as flint knapping, heather thatching, dry stone walling, stone masonry, frieze restoration and gold leafing.

The HLF’s policy advisor for education, Sharon Goddard, said: “The heritage sector is in urgent need of people who have specific conservation skills and many of the projects we fund need experts to make them happen.”

David Griffiths, master craftsman dry stone waller, said: “Dry stone walling is in crisis because we have hardly any young people entering the profession plus no official apprenticeships to offer to them.

“The current membership of Britain’s Dry Stone Walling Association is only 1,200 and just 20 of this number are young people of 16 years old or younger. We are desperately trying to find ways to alleviate this lack of fresh, young talent and so the news about the HLF’s bursary scheme is extremely welcome.”

The move has also been welcomed by Griff Rhys Jones, presenter of BBC 2’s Restoration. “We sometimes think that money is being put into bricks and mortar, but it’s people who put bricks and mortar together. The HLF is putting money directly into those who will make restoration possible.”

A wide range of organisations will be eligible to apply for bursaries to train employees including local authorities, development agencies, professional and educational bodies and community and voluntary organisations while training will be carried out in the workplace by master craftsman or experts in relevant fields.

Applications will be in two stages, with the first, expressions of interest, needing to be received by the HLF by 21 October 2004. Details: www.hlf.org.uk/hlfbursaries or email: [email protected]