UK Construction Journal - Issue 1 - April 2026 - Flipbook - Page 77
His Majesty The King Becomes Patron
Of The Creative Dimension Trust
The Creative Dimension Trust was thrilled to announce that on 17 March, Buckingham Palace
confirmed that His Majesty The King has graciously agreed to become Patron of the charity.
Founder Penny Bendall comments,
The Creative Dimension Trust (TCDT) offers workshops
designed to equip talented young people with the skills and
confidence to pursue careers in fields where core hand skills
- such as manual dexterity, draftsmanship, and the ability to
understand and reconstruct three-dimensional structures - are
essential.
“
The Royal Patronage is a tremendous honour made
possible only through the dedication, hard work, and
commitment of our tutors, partners, donors, and other
supporters over the past ten years. Having His Majesty
as our Royal Patron will provide vital publicity for our
work and enable our achievements and contributions to
society to be recognised and brought to wider attention.”
Courses are free of charge for all successful applicants, with
recruitment conducted directly through schools in areas of
social and economic deprivation or geographic isolation.
TCDT aims for 80% of participants to come from underserved
backgrounds.
In a time of school budget cuts, an increased focus on STEM
subjects, and excessive screen time, underserved students
often miss out on opportunities to develop fine motor skills and
spatial awareness. These abilities are vital not only in creative
industries - a vast employment sector - but also in fields such
as architecture and medicine. Roger Kneebone, Professor of
Surgical Education at Imperial College, warns that today’s
medical students “might have high academic grades but
cannot cut or sew,” due to a lack of craft experience. While
extracurricular programs and networks exist to support talent
in areas like music and sport, there is no equivalent for crafts.
Skills are taught by craft specialists who are acknowledged
leaders in their fields. TCDT provides opportunities to learn,
experiment, build confidence, draw inspiration from top
professionals, and explore potential career paths. Students
leave with a clearer understanding of what is possible and
how to achieve it.
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