College's blacksmith receives bronze award

Plumpton College now proudly boasts of a Master Blacksmith among its well qualified staff. Ricky Delaney, the programme leader and lecturer in Level 3 Blacksmithing and Metalwork courses, has been awarded a Bronze medal from the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths. Ricky was made a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths and has now attained the status of Master Blacksmith.

Jeremy Kerswell, the Principal of Plumpton College says: “This is a great honour for Ricky. It complements the other awards already conferred to him. The Metalsmithing Department has flourished to embrace blacksmithing courses up to Level 3 with expansion to a Foundation Degree in Creative Metalworking as well as silversmithng and jewellery training opportunities. The award recognises the superb efforts of Ricky and is richly deserved!”

The bronze award is intended for a Blacksmith who is the holder of a Diploma of Merit and has evidence to show that they can produce articles significantly above the standard normally associated with decorative and general blacksmiths. In addition to the skills achieved at the Diploma level, the applicant should be able to show that he is conversant with all blacksmithing techniques.

The commissions should include larger projects than required for a Diploma of Merit and would normally be expected to include work in the public sector such as ecclesiastical commissions. These may have come from the private or public sectors and may include restoration work but a Bronze Medal would not be awarded on the basis of restoration work alone.

The work should show individual influence on design, with less input from external sources than required for a Diploma of Merit. A wide portfolio should be available to support the application and be representative of current projects.

Metalsmithing courses at Plumpton College offer a suite of courses which can be studied in a variety of combinations to allow flexibility and to help to develop practical and technical metalsmithing skills.

Plumpton College will be holding an information morning on Saturday March 5 and an open day on Saturday May 14, www.plumpton.ac.uk