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24 July 2003 Local Experts Help Fellows Become a 'Glass-Act' Restoration specialists from Leicester-based Norman and Underwood are helping train tomorrow’s top craftsmen. Fellows studying for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings’ (SPAB) prestigious William Morris Craft Fellowship spent today training at Norman and Underwood’s Freeschool Lane stained glass and cast lead facilities. The Fellows watched stained glass craftsmen and learnt some of the tricks of the trade, including how to cut stained glass and how to put together stained glass panels. Stuart Bailey, Roofing Surveyor, Norman and Underwood, said: “There is a skills shortage crisis hampering the construction industry as a whole. It’s hard enough to get a builder to help renovate your average semi-detached, let alone find somebody with the skills to restore a 1000 year-old church. “That’s why the company is eager to do all it can to help pass on dying expertise and knowledge. Norman & Underwood is a firm believer in apprenticeships and training is an integral part of our business philosophy. ”We are pleased Norman and Underwood can play a role in ensuring today’s SPAB Fellows go on to be the cream of tomorrow’s craftsmen.” Fellow Jack O’Brien, 25, said: “I was very impressed with Norman and Underwood’s in-house training in traditional crafts and was amazed by the works and the knowledge of the craftsmen. It was also a refreshing change to see the production of sand-cast lead. “The SPAB Fellowship, helped along by quality firms, such as Norman and Underwood, helps craftsmen bridge a missing gap within the conservation and restoration industry.” Skilled craftsmen demonstrated the manufacture of traditional sand-cast lead. The Fellows watched as Norman and Underwood’s craftsmen poured molten lead onto the sand-filled casting table – a process largely unchanged since Roman times. Norman and Underwood has helped train the cream of Britain’s craftsmen and has given around 40 SPAB fellows the chance to see its specialists at work over the last 10 years. The company is renowned throughout the UK for using traditional sand-cast lead in the major restoration of many historic buildings, including Salisbury Cathedral, Chatsworth House and Westminster Abbey. back to top back to previous page   11-27 Freeschool Lane, Leicester LE1 4FX, England tel: 0116 251 5000 fax: 0116 253 2669 e-mail: [email protected]