The Maltings remains unshakable in its belief that the crafts offer unrivalled opportunities to engage new audiences and new makers. Craft is the country’s most popular hobby with around one in six of the adult population choosing to take up tools and work with their hands. There is something special about everyday making activities – whether knitting, sugar craft, pottery or woodwork – which makes us content and has an ability to bring us together.

Our enthusiasm for making springs partly from our location. Farnham has a rich tradition in the crafts and the presence of the Crafts Study centre, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham Pottery, the Rural Life Centre and the New Ashgate Gallery in the town, alongside the Maltings, means that we have access to a unique blend of entrepreneurial, academic and creative expertise. It is no surprise that Farnham now has a reputation as a craft town - replicating Hay-on-Wye’s success as a national centre for books by accentuating the role of crafts at the heart of its cultural offer. We believe that this places us in a strong position to raise the ambition and impact of the crafts across the region and ensure that they prosper and are celebrated.

Here are some of the ways in which we support the crafts:

studios
We manage around 25 craft-based studios both here at the Maltings at the Old Fire Station in Godalming.

apprentices
We are seeking to match apprentices with experienced makers based in the area to enable craft skills to be passed on to a new generation of practitioners. The Maltings is seeking to reclaim some of the traditional elements of apprenticeships by providing inexperienced local makers with the opportunity to shadow an established maker and learn their craft. The aim is to transfer knowledge and skills which will remain within and benefit the community after the apprenticeship has been completed.

associate and resident makers
FM is working on bringing together a group of makers to champion and celebrate crafts in the region. We will provide tiered support ranging from subsidised making space, to financial and management support, developing partnerships and providing coaching and training opportunities.

residencies
We are seeking to invest in innovative work by offering time and space to craft makers working the research and development the new ideas of artists. Typically this involves providing space, occasionally money and sometimes accommodation. These could also include retreats and international visits

craft networks
We facilitate communities of makers by providing space (virtual or within our building) for them to come together.

marketplace
We are raising the profile of crafts in the region by initiating debate and promoting the achievements of the sector. We are improving the ecology of the marketplace by bringing together the right makers with the right opportunities to sell their work and continue to develop our festival programme including unravel, sugar craft, art in clay and the festival of crafts.

collaboration
We will not do something alone if we can do it better with others and we are working with the Crafts Council to build on their support for emerging makers. We are also hosting the Surrey Guild of Makers at shop maltings and are forming new alliances with other organisations.

participation
We run and host an extensive workshop programme to encourage all of us to become makers. We know that craft provides a popular and accessible way of engaging communities – but we also know that this does not mean that the work cannot also be experimental and challenging.