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Sarah James, Director at Craft Festival, has been awarded an MBE for services to craft in His Majesty King Charles’ Birthday Honours List.
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In a career spanning over 20 years, Sarah’s MBE is in recognition of her championing of British contemporary craft. Having previously been a maker, she co-founded Craft Festival in 2003. The not-for-profit organisation’s flagship event in Bovey Tracey, Devon, is affectionately referred to as ‘The Glastonbury of Craft’. With a string of subsequent events in Cardiff and Cheltenham, Craft Festival provides a retail platform for hundreds of designer makers from across the UK, reaching thousands of visitors and winning numerous tourism awards. A new, national event for Wales, hosted in Cardigan Castle, Ceredigion is currently in development.
“I am thrilled and overwhelmed to receive this Honour. It represents my lifelong passion for craft and drive to create a meaningful, collaborative community and commercial platform where professional crafts people can thrive,” said Sarah.
“As a former maker, I understand the challenges crafts people face in establishing and sustaining a viable creative business. Early in my career I was supported by The Princes Trust, an experience that nurtured my confidence and network that later helped build Craft Festival” she added.
Sarah is very proud of her Welsh heritage and was raised in Cardigan, Ceredigion. She currently lives with her family in Bovey Tracey, Devon. She was educated in Cardigan and subsequently at Carmarthen College of Art (now known as Coleg Sir Gar). Sarah graduated with a degree in Ceramics from Glasgow School of Art in 1993, following time in the US at Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore as an exchange student.
Craft Festival has grown from 2,000 to 10,000 visitors and was awarded Visit Devon's Festival of the Year, Gold Award, in 2015, 2016 and 2018. It was also awarded Gold for Festival of the Year and the Winner of Winners Award at the Southwest Excellence Awards in 2018.
Craft Festival Cheltenham takes place each November and March at Cheltenham Town Hall – part of the family of designer maker events by Craft Festival.
The next local event takes place November 17-19th 2023, click here for Craft Festival Cheltenham details.
Related
Craft Festival Cheltenham returns for a weekend of creativity and pre-Christmas shopping, November 17 - 19, 2023.
Cheltenham Town Hall is now home to an impressive all year round programme of major festivals, entertainment, exhibitions and functions. Built in 1902-1903 as a venue for social events, it replaced the Assembly Rooms on the High Street, which had been demolished to make way for a bank. Interestingly, unlike most Town Hall's, this grand building in Cheltenham was not built as the seat for a Borough Council, which is instead found in the Municipal Offices across the road on the Promenade.
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