A student passionate about heritage has started his own business.
Craig Milburn was chosen to complete the Essex County Council’s Traditional Building Skills Programme and he was so inspired by the course, he launched Shire Conservation.
The 30-year-old, who took part in the course thanks to a bursary from City and Country housebuilders, learned practical skills such as timber framing, thatching and wrought ironwork.
The programme is aimed at ensuring such skills continue to survive and are not forgotten.
Mr Milburn, who lives in Kent and travelled to Essex to complete the course, said: “I was passionate about heritage and listed buildings and was immediately drawn to the course.
“At the time I was travelling from Kent to Essex, in the early stages of setting up my business, as well as studying, so funds were low.
“The bursary provided by City and Country was invaluable – without it, I would not have been able to join the course.”
As well as practical skills, the course encourages an appreciation and understanding of 
heritage development.
Mr Milburn added: “One of the main benefits of the course was the practical training.
“We worked on projects in a 
historic environment which gave me a crucial insight into working in the industry.
“The course helped me to understand the thinking and 
passion that conservation professionals put into their projects.
“It was incredibly inspirational and it confirmed my life-long ambition to start my own business – I would say I found the course life changing.”
City and Country has supported Essex County Council’s Traditional Building Skills programme since 2008, in a bid to plug the skills gap in the niche sector.
Helen Moore, managing director at City and Country, said: “There is a clear shortage of trained heritage builders in the market armed with the necessary skills and passion to deal with listed buildings.
“At City and Country we believe in breathing new life into often redundant and long-forgotten buildings and it is imperative for us to support men and women entering into this profession.
“We’re delighted that in this instance, the City and Country bursary allowed Craig to develop his own business within the field.
“We are pleased to continue our relationship with Essex County Council, and we will continue to support the course for the foreseeable future.”
Essex has 14,000 listed buildings.
Katie Seabright, historic buildings education consultant at Essex Country Council, added: “The City and Country bursary has allowed those who would otherwise not consider attending a course because of financial implications to enhance their knowledge of traditional building techniques and materials.
“This has allowed them to learn how to work with listed buildings, and better maintain Essex’s built heritage.”