A lime plastering specialist has been awarded the William Morris Craft Fellowship.

Paul Walters, who lives in Gorlas, was presented with the award at a prestigious event in London last week.

Since 1987 the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) has organised the Fellowship to foster a new generation of outstanding craftspeople with the knowledge and expertise to pass on essential skills for working with historic materials.

Paul’s lime plastering journey started with the NVQ3 heritage plastering Bursary Scheme at Carmarthenshire County Council’s Tywi Centre. Since gaining his NVQ3 he now runs his own successful business- Just Lime Ltd.

Paul’s passion for continually improving his practice led him to apply for the Fellowship scheme that is designed to nurture and develop the hands-on skills needed to care for old buildings.

In March 2017 Paul and his three fellow Fellows began their six-month itinerary of site, workshop and studio visits.

Starting with a week in the south east of England they visited projects at Canterbury Cathedral, the atmospheric Abney Park Cemetery in London and Hampton Court Palace.

They visited castles in the Inner Hebrides, helped with thatching in the West Country and repairing ruined mills in Derbyshire. They learnt about traditional building techniques from skilled craftsmen and women who have already established careers in the field.

Paul said “During the scheme I have met some of the country’s most knowledgeable and passionate crafts people. It has been a fantastic opportunity.”

Council executive board member for culture, sport and tourism Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths said: “I’d like to congratulate Paul Walters on being awarded the William Morris Craft Fellowship and having the opportunity to further hone his skills.

“It is also testimony to the good work being carried out by our staff at the Tywi Centre to ensure that the traditional skills we need to look after our historic buildings are passed on.”

Caption: Paul Walters (second left) at the William Morris Craft Fellowship awards.