Anna Plowden Trust

NEWS: Major grant for Scholarships from the Dulverton Trust The Dulverton Trust has awarded a grant of £120,000 over three years, which will be used by the Anna Plowden Trust to fund Scholarships for students on conservation training programmes. The Anna Plowden Trust is one of the few sources of support for those undertaking conservation training, having awarded more than 425 Scholarships since it was founded in 1998. As students’ costs continue to rise, the Scholarship programme cannot meet all the requests for funding that are received, but this grant from the Dulverton Trust will, in the words of Dr David Saunders, Chair of the Anna Plowden Trust: “make an immense difference to the Trust and our ability to support the next generation of conservators as they train. We are grateful to the Dulverton Trust for their continued faith in our knowledge of the conservation sector and experience in targeting support to those who might not otherwise be able to pursue a career in heritage conservation.” Image: APT Scholar Iona Rimmer Elks consolidating cartonnage mask belonging to the Egyptian Exploration Society. Image included with the kind permissions of Collections Manager Elizabeth Owen at The Egyptian Exploration Society (EES) #heritage #grant #scholarships #conservation #education

The Anna Plowden Trust has appointed two new trustees to its committee, Dr Pedro Gaspar and Rosie Chamberlain. They bring a wealth of experience which we are delighted to have supporting our conservation education aims. Rosie Chamberlin is a Textile Treatment Conservator at Historic Royal Palaces, where she works across the Tapestry, Furnishings, Costume and General Textil teams. She began her career in the cultural heritage sector in 2010 at the Victor and Albert Museum, working as a Collections Team Assistant and Technician and completing practical and theoretical training, including an NVQ in Heritage Care. Rosie holds an MPhil in Textile Conservation from the University of Glasgow an an MA in the Conservation of Historic Objects from the University of Lincoln. Prior to joining Historic Royal Palaces in 2016, Rosie worked as the sole Textile Conservator at Plowden and Smith Ltd. Her research interests include magnetic display systems and the conservation of tin-weighted silk costume. She is an active member of the ICOM-CC Textiles Working Group and serves as Assistant Coordinator. Rosie became a trustee of the Anna Plowden Trust in recognition of the vital support it provided during her postgraduate studies and early career, including funding that enabled her to share valuable research with the wider conservatior community. She is motivated to support the Trust's mission of widening access t training and CPD opportunities for emerging conservators. Photo credit: HM Queen Elizabeth II’s baby dress undergoes conservation. © Historic Royal Palaces #conservation #textiles heritage #education

The Anna Plowden Trust has appointed two new trustees to its committee, Dr Pedro Gaspar and Rosie Chamberlin. They both bring a wealth of experience which we are delighted to have supporting our conservation education aims. Dr Pedro Gaspar, FlIC, is the Head of Conservation at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). He holds a PhD in Conservation Science, jointly awarded by the Royal College of Art and Imperial College in collaboration with the V&A, a Postgraduate Diploma from The Bayes Business School, City, University of London, as well as executive training from Said Business School, University of Oxford. Originally trained in Materials Science at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal, he has over 25 years' experience in heritage, museums, and research fields. He held previous roles at the War Memorials Trust, Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, and the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. Pedro said: "I'm truly thrilled to join the Anna Plowden Trust as a trustee. Throughout my career in conservation, l've seen first-hand how vital it is to nurture talent and provide opportunities for learning. The Trust's mission—to support students and professionals in developing the skills that safeguard our shared heritage-couldn't resonate more deeply with me. I feel privileged to contribute to this work and to help ensure that the UK continues to lead in heritage conservation. #conservation #education #charity #heritage

Our conservation CPD grants will be awarded in 2026 in four rounds - Jan, April, June and Sept. If you are a practicing conservator and want to level-up your skills, but need financial assistance to attend a course - take a look at the application information on our website, link in bio 🔗 #conservation #heritage #workforce #skills #professionaldevelopment

We are delighted to announce that Anna Plowden Scholarships will be awarded again in Summer 2026. The deadline for applications is 1st June. The grants can be used towards the costs of studying conservation at a UK institution in the academic year 2026-2027. For more information please follow the links to our website, found in our bio 🔗 Please share with your friends and followers! #conservation #grants #education #heritage #careers

Last round of grants for 2025! We typically see several applications in each round for people wanting to returnto work with a CPD boost, and we are here for it! Whether it’s a practical course, online learning or a conference - if it’s conservation CPD it’s eligible. Don’t lose out. Deadline 8th Sept, see our website for more information on applications. #conservation #CPD #Grant #heritage

We’re thrilled to announce that Recclesia has agreed to become a Corporate Sponsor of the Anna Plowden Trust! Established in 1998 in memory of pioneering conservator Anna Plowden CBE, the Trust has to date awarded over £1million in grants to support the development of skills in conservation. Our sponsorship reflects our dedication to nurturing talent in the conservation sector and our work cultivating traditional craft skills. We’re very proud to be able to support the Trust in their objectives, and championing continuous improvement in the conservation profession. Pictured: Recclesia Conservator Carlotta Cammelli, who attended the CVMA Colloquium in Germany in 2024 thanks to grant funding from APT. #conservationheroes #skills #recclesia #annaplowdentrust

Happy New Year from the Anna Plowden Trust! We are pleased to be offering our Scholarship Grant and Continued Professional Development Grants again in 2025. Head to our website for more information about eligibilty and how to apply. Our next deadline for CPD is tomorrow, 13th Jan 2025.

Our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Grants enable conservators practising in the UK to take advantage of CPD opportunities by contributing towards the cost of short courses and attending conferences. Thanks to a major partnership with The Clothworkers' Foundation, we have much increased funding available for CPD grants.  The Plowden/Clothworkers' Foundation CPD Grants can be awarded for up to £1,000 or 50% (whichever is the smaller amount) of the cost of the conference or training course. We welcome applications for in-person or online CPD events; the application form can be downloaded from the link in the bio. Deadlines: September 12th 2022 and November 7th 2022 Photo: Yoko Hanegreefs

In 2021, the pandemic continued to disrupt conservation training and CPD events. As a result, we awarded fewer CPD grants than usual, but demand for Plowden Scholarships was high and we awarded 26 Scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of The Clothworkers' Foundation, we continued to apply unused CPD funding to our Covid-19 Fund which has now helped a total of 44 current students and recent graduates to undertake work placements. Since its foundation in 1998, the Trust has awarded more than 330 CPD grants and over 350 Scholarships to a total value of over £900,000 - an extraordinary investment in conservation education and training. We are enormously grateful to all of our donors during 2021 and, in particular, to our major donors, The Clothworkers’ Foundation and the Dulverton Trust. A number of generous individuals also support us, many of whom have benefited from our Scholarships or CPD grants, and we are most grateful to each of them. The 2021 Annual Report is available from the link in the bio.

2020 APT scholar, Sebastian B. Pin. University of Glasgow. . . Sebastian had the opportunity to undertake a series of examination reports to understand the potential causes of the deterioration of the object in question. One such object was a brocaded silk Torah mantle cover. . . Photo used with the permission of Sebastian B. Pin

APT and The Clothworker’s Foundation Covid-19 grant recipient, Rowan Frame, had the opportunity in 2021, to work with KSH Conservation Limited to conserve a painted coat of arms on the tympanum in All Saints Church, Morston, Norfolk. . . Above, Rowan is removing the discoloured varnish coating from the tympanum’s painted surface.