We're thrilled to welcome two new members of staff to the team at Recclesia Stained Glass! Aiden Bell-Smith joins us in the stained glass studio and Tom Ball in the metal workshops.
Aiden joins our Manchester studio having graduated last year with a degree in Glass & Ceramics from the National Glass Centre at Sunderland University. The National Glass Centre, which is also home to the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, is one of the most outstanding glass arts training facilities in the country, offering students the opportunity to engage with a vast variety of traditional, contemporary and digital mediums. Aiden brings a variety of skills to the company and is a very welcome addition to the team.
Tom joins us as a trainee in the metal workshops, which principally fills its time with the conservation and repair of historic metal windows and stained glass support structures, skills which Tom will be learning over the coming years. Tom is also training on site in the removal and reinstatement of stained glass, something which requires a very particular temperament and the patience of saint!
Recclesia Managing Director Jamie Moore said, "Recclesia has always championed traditional skills training since day one, and I welcome both Aiden and Tom to the team. Both bring some very different skills, but they're here thanks to the same enthusiasm for glass crafts and passion for the care of our built heritage. It is super to be able to provide career opportunities for them in our very specialist sector."