Alex one of first to do stonemason degree
Budding stonemasons have been restoring and adding to Gloucester Cathedral's appearance from the Cathedral Workshop.
Alex Rose-Deacon, pictured, began as a trainee two years ago after funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. She was one of the first masons on a Cathedral Foundation Degree at the University of Gloucestershire.
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She said: "The traineeship is fantastic. We are very lucky to have it. There aren't many places that have a full-time masonry course, let alone one that takes people on."
Alex works alongside master mason Pascal Mychalysin and Oliver Critchley, who started as an apprentice in 2000 and has now taken a position as a senior manager at the Cathedral.
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Pascal started work at the Cathedral in 1990 and became a master mason in the mid-90s.
He has previously worked on other cathedrals including Strasborg Cathedral, abbeys, monasteries, castles and churches.
He said: "Our in-house training has very good results with practically no drop-outs. All go on to have good careers and some have gone on to create their own companies."
The youngest trainee is currently 19-years-old and the oldest is in their 30s.
The in-house work at the Cathedral compliments the work of the National Curriculum NVQ two and three.
This has led to the creation of the Cathedral Foundation Degree in partnership with the university and seven other cathedrals. The degree, open to all Cathedral apprentices, is the first of its kind in the country and is attracting masons from all areas to the county.
The workshop has the responsibility of securing the good condition of the historic fabric of the building using traditional techniques of stonemasonry, as well as conservation techniques evolved in the last few decades within the heritage sectors.
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