Goldsmiths’ Company welcomes new DCMS appointments
The Goldsmiths’ Company congratulates The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism on their appointments to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
In February, Annie Warburton, CEO and Clerk of The Goldsmiths’ Company, and Will Evans, Director and Assay Master of the London Assay Office, joined 23 colleagues from across the UK Jewellery, Silverware and Allied Crafts sectors for a roundtable discussion with Sir Chris Bryant MP on the growth, accessibility and sustainability of our industry.
The National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) hosted roundtable, on the future of our trade and craft, looked at key challenges facing the industry, possible actions and solutions. Sir Chris Bryant MP, at the time Shadow Minister for DCMS, actively engaged with the issues and was keen to broaden his knowledge and understanding of our trade and craft within the wider context of the creative industries.
Members of the roundtable encouraged the Minister to work for greater recognition and support for an industry that employs 60,000 trained professionals and generates £8.5bn in revenue annually.
Speaking about the appointments today, Annie Warburton said:
“The creative industries are a national success story – a sector that, in the last decade, has grown more than twice as fast as the economy as a whole. Yet our trade’s contribution to this has too often been overlooked. That is now changing, and we are encouraged by the appointments of Lisa Nandy and Sir Chris Bryant to DCMS.
A thorough understanding of our industry and its impact upon the UK economy, along with investment in the next generation of craftspeople is vital if the UK is to retain a leading global position in the jewellery, silverware and allied trades. I’m heartened by the discussions held in February and excited to work with colleagues from across the industry and policy makers to achieve positive change for our industry and the people working within it.”
Official portraits of Sir Chris Bryant MP and The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP ©UK Parliament 2024, and used under the Creative Commons 3.0 license.
Image of NAJ roundtable February 2024, ©NAJ 2024