POSTED ON 10/25/2018 IN News BY Jamie Bourn
Supporting the Designers and Furniture Makers of the Future
Whitemeadow is helping inspire the next generation of designers and furniture makers by supporting a campaign organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity. We have sponsored eight schools within the local Nottinghamshire area.
Launched in 2014, the School Design Prize raises awareness of the furnishing industry among school children by rewarding them for their design & technology course work. Every year The Furniture Makers’ Company asks companies and individuals to sponsor copies of a design textbook which are then posted to schools around the country for design & technology teachers to present to their most outstanding student. The prize is a certificate and a copy of ‘Design of the 20th Century’ by Charlotte and Peter Fiell, published by Taschen.
The Furniture Makers’ Company is the British furnishing industry’s charity, which fosters and supports the industry by nurturing skills and expertise, supporting those in need and inspiring excellence. It encourages the highest standards and best practice in the design, making, marketing and selling of all kinds of furniture and furnishings throughout the UK, recognising quality through the award of its Guild Marks. It supports students and young people with grants, training and mentoring in order to foster talent and safeguard the future of the industry. It provides support and assistance to those in need who are working or have worked in the UK furnishing industry. You can find out more here.
Dr Tony Smart MBE, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, said: “We are immensely grateful to Whitemeadow for their support of our School Design Prize campaign. The long term prosperity of the furnishing industry depends on us attracting young people to pursue a career in this creative, vibrant sector. The award is something that the winning student should be very proud of.”
Ian Oscroft, Managing Director at Whitemeadow commented: “It is absolutely key for our industry that we focus on developing the next generation of designers and we are keen therefore to support this initiative within our local area”.
George Cooper, Marketing and Communications Manager for the Furniture Makers' Company commented: "Emily Lindsay from Joseph Whitaker School, one of Whitemeadow’s recipients was in attendance, and she actually came second in the National School Design Prize for the piece called Multimedia. It wasn’t a piece of furniture per se, it was an architectural model, but she got a lot out of the day. Her parents accompanied her and they were very positive about the prize and the exhibition, and it’s because of Whitemeadow’s support, so thank you".
Click here to view a short video which captures the vibrancy and excitement of the 2018 Young Furniture Makers Exhibition.
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Discovering New Talent at the Creatives Industries Expo, NTU
Whitemeadow were delighted to exhibit at the first ever Creative Industries Expo at Nottingham Trent University last month. Managing Director Ian Oscroft, Human Resource Manager, Karen Clarridge and Marketing Manager, Zehra Gezer manned the Whitemeadow stand throughout the day. Ian commented: "We know that to ensure Whitemeadow stays at the forefront of the industry, we need to continually bring fresh new designs to the market and to that end we encourage a working climate for inspiration. It was particularly refreshing to attend the fair and talk with so many young people who are passionate about design and have a desire to innovate".
The Expo was aimed at students enrolled on creative courses such as Product Design, Furniture Design and Textiles who are looking for opportunities including graduate jobs, work experience, freelance projects during their studies or volunteer work. Over 40 companies exhibited on the day, including Next Retail Ltd, New Look Retailers Ltd, Design Council and Games Workshop. In total, 739 students attended the fair and was deemed a great success by the organisers.
Karen commented:"Whitemeadow already have a strong relationship with Leicester De Montfort University where we launched the first ever Whitemeadow Upholstery Design Award in 2017. Product Design student Josh Greaves was the winner and is currently completing a very successful one year work placement with our Design department. This event has given us some great exposure amongst local students, and meeting so many talented and enthusiastic individuals has given me confidence in the pool of talent from which we can attract future employees".
Paving the Way for the Future of UK Upholstery Manufacturing
In the final part of our mini series looking at how Whitemeadow supports its customers, we are looking to the future and the ways in which Whitemeadow are investing in the UK upholstery industry. Inspiring the next generation through engaging with school children, helping re-train the local community in key upholstery skills and investing heavily in new facilities are just a few of the ways we demonstrate our dedication to ensuring Whitemeadow stays at the forefront of the industry way into the future.
In 2017, Whitemeadow Upholstery and The Furniture Makers’ Company were delighted to announce the launch of the first-ever Whitemeadow Upholstery Design Award. Whitemeadow Managing Director, Ian Oscroft commented at the time: “We know that to ensure Whitemeadow stays at the forefront of the industry, we need to continually bring fresh new designs to the market and to that end we encourage a working climate for inspiration”. The first placement was so successful that we have now welcomed our second student, Megan Glew, a Product Design student from Nottingham Trent University, into the Design department for a 1-year placement.
And we’re not stopping there, we’re going back to school! We're helping to inspire the next generation of designers and furniture makers by supporting a campaign organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity. We are sponsoring eight schools within the Nottinghamshire area, where the company was founded and still based today. Launched in 2014, the School Design Prize raises awareness of the furnishing industry among school children by rewarding them for their design & technology course work. Whitemeadow believe it is absolutely key for our industry that we focus on developing the next generation and we are keen therefore to support this initiative within our local area. Hopefully we will see some of these young faces working at Whitemeadow in the future!
Later this year we are due to launch our Sewing School for local people who would like to train as sewing machinists. The idea behind our sewing school is to encourage people to pursue a career in upholstery manufacturing and equip them with the technical skills and experience they need to make a go of it.
And finally, we are delighted to unveil our brand new, state of the art Design and Development Centre. We have invested more than £700,00 in the custom-built 13750 sq ft facility, which not only houses our full design and development team, but also a 4000 sq ft customer showroom!
We are confident that the investment Whitemeadow have made in their workforce and facilities at the front end of the business will stand us in good stead for the future and help strengthen our position as one of the most creative and innovative furniture manufacturers in the UK.
Whitemeadow Launches Upholstery Design Award 2017
PRESS RELEASE
The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity, and Whitemeadow Upholstery are delighted to announce the launch of the first-ever Whitemeadow Upholstery Design Award for 2017.
The new award, which was launched on Monday 30 January 2017, will ask students to design a commercial upholstery range of sofas or chairs for the home, focusing on excellence in design, materials, craftsmanship and function.
The competition is open to any product design or furniture design student over the age of 18 in full time education at any college or university in the UK.
The winner will be offered a paid work placement within Whitemeadow’s busy design department at its base in Sutton In Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, where they’ll receive insight into the practical side of upholstery design and manufacture.
Ben Burbidge, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, said: “As the furnishing industry’s charity, we want to encourage new talent to enter our industry and have put in place an extensive education programme to help create a powerful workforce for the future.
“We would like to thank Whitemeadow for sponsoring this new award, which will challenge young people to think both creatively and commercially, and for offering such a fantastic prize to the winner.”
Ian Oscroft, Managing Director at Whitemeadow, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with The Furniture Makers’ Company, our industry’s charity, on this new award. There is a wealth of talent out there and we’re excited to see what the students can design.
“We know that to ensure Whitemeadow stays at the forefront of the industry, we need to continually bring fresh new designs to the market and to that end we encourage a working climate for inspiration. We look forward to welcoming the eventual winner and helping them develop as a designer.”
The deadline for entries is Friday 14 April 2017.
The information pack and application form is available by emailing Damilola Bamidele: grantsandeducation@furnituremakers.org.uk.