South House Silver Workshop Trust
Chairman’s Report
January 2026
Period Jan 2025 to Feb 2026
The year 2025 was again very successful in terms of training and as the project has developed we have started to see the results with the work exhibited by past scholars. This has been our most ambitious year with 11 silversmiths given one month scholarships.
We found that it was becoming increasingly difficult for our makers to manage to take off two or three months for training as many of our candidates have part time positions. It was therefore decided to offer one month workshops. We received 22 applications and 11 were selected. They either completed their workshops in Sheffield or in Shetland.
We encourage the silversmiths to work in silver and we have been supported with silver kindly loaned by Argex Ltd. We have in some cases subsidised the cost of silver for several makers as the market price reached an all time high and made silver almost unaffordable.
All eleven silversmiths were taught new skills in an intensive situation as well as receiving advice on exhibiting, marketing, design and accounting skills.. All accommodation costs were covered along with their travel and each scholar received a weekly subsistence allowance.
Several of the makers having completed new pieces were able to exhibit at the highly prestigious exhibition in Sheffield, Goldsmiths’ North which is supported by The Goldsmiths’ Company. Several other makers were accepted and exhibited at Goldsmiths’ Fair in London in late September/October 2025.
Anna Olaffson won a gold award at The GCDC competition for the vase she made and chased in Shetland. She has now been awarded a workshop space at Marchmont House run by The Hugo Burge Foundation.
Monica Findlay was accepted at Goldsmiths’ Fair and exhibited her new beautiful box that she also made in Shetland. Caius Bearder exhibited his newly engraved beakers at The Fair having made them with Chris Perry in Sheffield during his one month scholarship. Scott Smith and Hannah Keddie took part in a show of work at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh entitled ‘The Thread that Pulls’.
The Trust also offered a one month scholarship for the best student to emerge from Bishopsland in 2025. It was awarded to Rachel Wand and she made a wonderful large chased dish while working in Shetland.
Exciting pieces were also made by Holly Clifford, Emma Wilson, Anna Rennie and Rebecca Oldfield.
All of our major donors again funded the program and we raised over £65k to fund the full scheme. We were again grateful to The South Square Trust, The Clothworkers’ Company, The Goldsmiths’ Company and the Goldsmiths’ Centre as well as several individual donors.
We continue to pass on to the next generation of silversmiths the techniques that have been honed over 40 years by myself Brett Payne and Chris Perry, we are working hard preserving the craft skills for the future.
In discussions with our donors and Trustees we have decided to change the format for applications. We found on several occasions that some of the past candidates, although supported by good references and complete CVs were actually lacking in many of the basic skills. This is partly due to the Education system, the Universities no longer teach craft and tend to focus on design and concept. There are other bodies working in the sector that are better equipped to teach the basic skills.
The South House Trust is about teaching and honing the skills of the master craftsman to a very high level. With this in mind we have decided to ask past scholars to submit applications to work again with the Trust so that we can aim to lift them technically to the next level by which we hope they can then flourish and develop their businesses.
We have a very bright future and we look forward as a Trust to working with the many young talented silversmiths that are working and studying in the UK.
This years programme ends at the end of February 2026 when Fran Onumah and Abi Asher complete their one month scholarships.
We hope to start the next programme after a short spring break with the first makers starting one month workshops in August/September 2026.
.
Rod Kelly MA (RCA)
Goldsmith Silversmith Chairman .
## **South House Silver Workshop**
## **Statement of Income and Expenditure**
**For the period from 1[st] January 2025 to 31[st] December 2025**
|**Total Income**|||£ 77,060.00|
|---|---|---|---|
|(includes Donations)||||
|**Total Income**|||2,570.54|
|(includes Reimbursements for silver)||||
|**Total Interest**|||97.24|
|(CAF Bank interest)||||
||||___________|
||||£ 79,727.78|
|**Less**
**: ** **Expenses**||||
|Outgoings||£|73,623.65 *|
|* see outgoing breakdown||||
|Bank Charges and Monthly Fees|||60.00|
||||(73,683.65)|
|||_______________________________||
|**�et ‘Profit’**|||£ 6,044.13|
||||==========|
|Notes to Accounts
:||||
|Balance on bank account (CAF bank – Acc. No. 00024006)||||
|@ 1stJanuary 2025|-|£ 30,793.16||
|@ 31stDecember 2025|-|£ 36,837.29||
|South House Silver Workshop||||
|Registered Charity Number: 1151646||||
|Registered Address: South House||||
|Muckle Roe, Brae, Shetland, ZE2 9QW||||
Signed: Chris Ellard (Trustee and accountant) chrisellard284@gmail.com
28[th] January 2026
|**Outgoings breakdown**|||
|---|---|---|
|Argex (Silver for scholars)|-|£ 835.54|
|Materials (Copper etc.)|-|657.40|
|Posters, PR, Applications (Karin Paynter)|-|1,062.50|
|Tuition
:|||
|Rod Kelly|-|30,000.00|
|(re. Johnny Stokes, Helena Russell, Monica Finlay, Anna Rennie|||
|Abigail Asher, Emma Wilson, Ruiyi Wang, Holly Clifford)|||
|Brett Payne|-|11,600.00|
|(re. , Hannah Keddie, Scott Smith)|||
|Chris Perry|-|10,400.00|
|(re. Hannah Russell, Hannah Keddie, Caius Bearder,|||
|Scott Smith, Rebecca Oldfield)|||
|Bursary (& expenses)
:|||
|Anna Rennie (Subsistence)|-|721.49|
|Scott Smith (Accommodation and Subsistence)|-|4,162.46|
|Helena Russell (Subsistence and Fuel)|-|920.00|
|Jonathan Stokes (Subsistence, Travel and Fuel)|-|870.00|
|Monica Findlay (Travel, Subsistence and Bursary)|-|1,566.00|
|Holly Clifford (Travel and Subsistence)|-|1,230.00|
|Francesca Onumah (Flight and Subsistence)|-|700.00|
|Emma Wilson (Travel and Subsistence)|-|670.00|
|Hannah Keddie (Travel, Accommodation and Subs.)|-|1,160.00|
|Rebecca Oldfield (Subsistence)|-|400.00|
|Abigail Asher (Subsistence and Travel)|-|700.00|
|Anna Olafsson (Subsistence)|-|800.00|
|Caius Bearder (Subsistence and Travel)|-|456.26|
|Ruiyi Wang (Subsistence and Flights)|-|1,150.00|
|Alastair Grimstone (re. J. Geiger)|-|400.00|
|Sundries|||
|Rod Kelly (Internet)|-|312.00|
|Rod Kelly
(Accom.)|-|2,300.00|
|Taxis for Alastair Grimstone|-|550.00|
|||__________|
|**Total**||£ 73,623.65|
|||__________|
|||---------------|
## **Outgoings breakdown**
Expenses paid to Scholars: Accommodation £ 4,210.00 Subsistence 7,040.00 Travel and Fuel 3,206.21 Flights 1,050.00 Others 400.00 _________________ Total £ 15,906.21 _________________ -------------------------
## **South House Silver Workshop**
## **Statement of Income and Expenditure**
**For the period from 1[st] January 2025 to 31[st] December 2025**
|**Total Income**|||£ 77,060.00|
|---|---|---|---|
|(includes Donations)||||
|**Total Income**|||2,570.54|
|(includes Reimbursements for silver)||||
|**Total Interest**|||97.24|
|(CAF Bank interest)||||
||||___________|
||||£ 79,727.78|
|**Less**
**: ** **Expenses**||||
|Outgoings||£|73,623.65 *|
|* see outgoing breakdown||||
|Bank Charges and Monthly Fees|||60.00|
||||(73,683.65)|
|||_______________________________||
|**�et ‘Profit’**|||£ 6,044.13|
||||==========|
|Notes to Accounts
:||||
|Balance on bank account (CAF bank – Acc. No. 00024006)||||
|@ 1stJanuary 2025|-|£ 30,793.16||
|@ 31stDecember 2025|-|£ 36,837.29||
|South House Silver Workshop||||
|Registered Charity Number: 1151646||||
|Registered Address: South House||||
|Muckle Roe, Brae, Shetland, ZE2 9QW||||
Signed: Chris Ellard (Trustee and accountant) chrisellard284@gmail.com
28[th] January 2026
|**Outgoings breakdown**|||
|---|---|---|
|Argex (Silver for scholars)|-|£ 835.54|
|Materials (Copper etc.)|-|657.40|
|Posters, PR, Applications (Karin Paynter)|-|1,062.50|
|Tuition
:|||
|Rod Kelly|-|30,000.00|
|(re. Johnny Stokes, Helena Russell, Monica Finlay, Anna Rennie|||
|Abigail Asher, Emma Wilson, Ruiyi Wang, Holly Clifford)|||
|Brett Payne|-|11,600.00|
|(re. , Hannah Keddie, Scott Smith)|||
|Chris Perry|-|10,400.00|
|(re. Hannah Russell, Hannah Keddie, Caius Bearder,|||
|Scott Smith, Rebecca Oldfield)|||
|Bursary (& expenses)
:|||
|Anna Rennie (Subsistence)|-|721.49|
|Scott Smith (Accommodation and Subsistence)|-|4,162.46|
|Helena Russell (Subsistence and Fuel)|-|920.00|
|Jonathan Stokes (Subsistence, Travel and Fuel)|-|870.00|
|Monica Findlay (Travel, Subsistence and Bursary)|-|1,566.00|
|Holly Clifford (Travel and Subsistence)|-|1,230.00|
|Francesca Onumah (Flight and Subsistence)|-|700.00|
|Emma Wilson (Travel and Subsistence)|-|670.00|
|Hannah Keddie (Travel, Accommodation and Subs.)|-|1,160.00|
|Rebecca Oldfield (Subsistence)|-|400.00|
|Abigail Asher (Subsistence and Travel)|-|700.00|
|Anna Olafsson (Subsistence)|-|800.00|
|Caius Bearder (Subsistence and Travel)|-|456.26|
|Ruiyi Wang (Subsistence and Flights)|-|1,150.00|
|Alastair Grimstone (re. J. Geiger)|-|400.00|
|Sundries|||
|Rod Kelly (Internet)|-|312.00|
|Rod Kelly
(Accom.)|-|2,300.00|
|Taxis for Alastair Grimstone|-|550.00|
|||__________|
|**Total**||£ 73,623.65|
|||__________|
|||---------------|
## **Outgoings breakdown**
Expenses paid to Scholars: Accommodation £ 4,210.00 Subsistence 7,040.00 Travel and Fuel 3,206.21 Flights 1,050.00 Others 400.00 _________________ Total £ 15,906.21 _________________ -------------------------