A two-day event at historic St Michael’s, Castlemartin, offers hands-on training in blacksmithing, stained glass, and traditional building techniques

Heritage enthusiasts have a rare opportunity to step behind the scenes of historical conservation and learn centuries-old craft skills while helping restore one of Wales’ most fascinating churches.

This September, heritage conservation charity Friends of Friendless Churches is offering just 12 places on an intensive two-day working party at St Michael’s, Castlemartin - an ancient church on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path which closed in 2016 and which dates from the 12th Century. Participants will work alongside leading Welsh heritage specialists to master traditional skills including lime mortaring, blacksmithing, and stained-glass work.

Maggie Goodall, Volunteer Co-ordinator for the Friends of Friendless Churches, said “This isn’t your typical volunteer day. Participants leave with genuine medieval craft skills they’ve learned from master craftspeople. You'll forge metal using traditional techniques, mix and apply lime mortar the way stonemasons did for hundreds of years, and making new stained glass panels. These are skills you simply cannot learn elsewhere.”

The intensive programme includes: Traditional blacksmithing – forge and take home your own hand-made item; Lime mortaring – learn authentic pointing techniques on original stonework; Work with stained glass and lead; Heritage ecology – understand how historic buildings and wildlife coexist.

Places are strictly limited due to the specialist nature of the training. Small groups mean that participants get lots of guidance from the specialists. The £120 fee covers expert tuition, materials, meals, and optional camping.

“People finish these working parties transformed,” adds Maggie. “They’ve not just learned incredible skills – they’ve actually saved a piece of Welsh heritage with their own hands. That's something you carry with you forever.”

The working party runs on Thursday and Friday, September 25 and 26. To book, visit https://shorturl.at/Q7Lyc . Participants must attend both days and be over 18.