Jon Snow - Tied into Craft

Last Autumn we launched the second Wesley-Barrell craft awards, a national competition aimed at spotlighting craft talent in Britain and including two categories, Furniture and Textiles. Our judging panel included our own marketing director, Juliette Barrell, plus journalists Kara O'Reilly (Sunday Times) and Helen Chislett (freelance); furniture designer Alastair Graham; veteran textile designer Celia Birtwell and Claire West of the Crafts Council.  The panel was chaired for the second time by Channel 4 newscaster Jon Snow, who has never flagged in his enthusiasm and support for the Awards - for which we are most grateful.  Here he tells us why crafts matter to him:

"I am a classic example of someone who has been switched on to craft by the growth of increasingly sophisticated craft shows and craft shops, places that offer not only aesthetically beautiful objects, but also unique ones.  There are always stories behind craft objects too, so it feels as though you are buying into someone's personal history.  When something is hand crafted, it feels as though it has flowed out of life.

I am particularly drawn to fabrics and have drawers full of stuff I have no idea how and when I will ever use.  When I lived in America, I bought lots of antique quilts.  In Guatemala, I came back with some unbelievably beautiful shirts.  I am also a collector of Persian carpets, so when my work takes me to Iran, I never fail to pass up the opportunity to go and barter for some more.  I have also collected stacks of examples from Africa over the years.  Perhaps what I am best known for is my love of ties though - I have been buying them from Victoria Richards, among others, for over twenty years and have about a hundred at any one time.  As new ones come in, old ties go to charities to be auctioned.

Being on a judging panel such as this one is an intimidating experience - your taste and judgement are on the front line.  But what was amazing both this time and the first time was the extraordinary unity among the judges.  I think that spoke of the extraordinary quality of so much of what we were looking at - we were all happy with our highly talented winners and runners-up.

If someone were to question why craft matters, I would say to them it is right at the core of life.  Craft innovates design, it influences style and in that sense it has a direct effect on the mass market.  In other words, craft is at the cutting edge and we should all care about sustaining the cutting edge because otherwise there would be no progress.  Craft is not about the frilly and the frivolous - at its best it is about function and plugs right into the heart of life.  We can all buy good taste in the high street, but craft - whether from other countries or our own - adds personality, wit and charater to our homes."

The second Wesley-Barrell Craft Awards, in association with the Crafts Council resulted in over 100 applicants competing in two categories, furniture and textiles.

Click through to find out more about the eight shortlisted pieces.