UK stone suppliers, London Stone, have recently commented on the new Heritage Lottery funded project, Re-Making Leeds, which plans to offer training for stone masonry and lime plastering to boost the decline in specialist skills.

The Re-Making Leeds project, launched to provide training for stone masonry, carpentry and lime plastering to help restore the aging buildings in the city. The course in Temple Newsam will run for three years, with hopes to become self-sustaining by the end of it, with experts in the field joining up as tutors.

The project comes after the Construction Industry Training Board warned of a number of skill shortages in a number of construction areas, such as bricklaying and plastering, with specialised skills being the worst off.

£845,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund was given to Leeds City Council to help with the project, with a further £34,900 development funding provided, due to a nationwide call to improve training and employment prospects for the heritage sector.

Trainees on the course will get hands on, maintaining, repairing and refurbishing the pre-1919 buildings around Leeds. 18-24 year olds with a general construction qualification can receive a bursary to study a Level 2 Heritage Construction Award, to entice young people to the scheme, with further awards available for those already experienced within the construction industry.

The development manager for Re-Making Leeds, Sarah Neville said, ‘The Re-Making Leeds programme will mean we have enthusiastic, highly trained young people equipped with the skills needed to ensure our buildings and our heritage are preserved for future generations to enjoy.’

Often commenting on industry news, a spokesperson for London Stone said, ‘Re-Making Leeds is a great new project, one which will teach young people the importance of old construction techniques, techniques often overlooked for modern techniques, which don’t apply for older buildings.

Stone masonry is a particularly important area, one which we offer, and to see more people learning the skill will keep the tradition alive for generations to come, and the older buildings should last that long too thanks to the restoration techniques put in place.’

London Stone are a UK based stone supplier, selling a wide range of stone types including sandstone, granite, limestone, Yorkstone and travertine. Stone paving, Stone steps, Coping Stones, Garden Design, Patio Ideas and Stone Masonry are just some of the products and services London Stone offer, and the prices remain competitive in each area. The company have built up a varied collection of clients from homeowners to landscape contractors, thanks to the quality of their services and products. For further information on London Stone, visit www.londonstone.co.uk today.