West Dean College enameller Jane Short given MBE

Jane Short is a professional enameller who lives in Brighton and specialises in individual pieces of enamelled silverware and jewellery.

She has taught short courses in enamelling at West Dean since the 1980s.

After stopping teaching in the 1990s to raise a family, she resumed at the college four or five years ago.

Mrs Short said: “I am delighted and proud (of being awarded the MBE) and ever so slightly surprised as someone who mostly works on my own in my workshop.

“I have found out that I was nominated by the Heritage Craft Association, who work to help crafts people like myself, groups and guilds with the aim of protecting the traditional craft skills we have in this country.

“I’m very pleased to see a resurgence of crafts and skills like enamelling along with the up cycling movement of recycling clothes and furniture.

“Enamelling is one of the oldest crafts and I have always enjoyed teaching it at West Dean, where all of the teachers are extremely good in their field.

“It’s such an enjoyable thing to do and I’m lucky enough to do it for a living.”

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.chichester.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ChichesterObserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @Chiobserver

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Chichester Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.