Our £9.3 million Centre of Excellence campaign to create a world-class campus facility for research, education and training in traditional craft skills is now complete. In Summer 2025 we threw open the doors to the public as part of a special Heritage Fair to celebrate the completion of the project. 

The Centre of Excellence capital transformation was made possible by the extraordinary generosity of many individuals, trusts, foundations and business. 

PMJ Masonry announced as Silver Member of York Minster’s Centre for Excellence

We’re enormously grateful to PMJ Masonry for joining as a Silver Member of our Corporate Circle. Their generous support is helping contribute towards our ongoing work to restore and conserve York Minster through trailblazing technology, traditional heritage craft skills and the training of new generations of practitioners. 

 As Silver Members, their sponsorship enabled us to host the Heritage Fair which welcomed visitors from across York to see first-hand the extensive sustainable initiatives delivered through the construction of these two new buildings, including the latest photovoltaic technology and rainwater harvesting techniques.” 

“At PMJ Masonry, we’re not just building masonry, we’re building a sustainable future. That is why we’re delighted to join as a Silver Member of the Corporate Circle for the York Minster Centre of Excellence for Heritage Skills and Estate Management” 

– Managing Director, Patrick Handley 

Garfield Weston Foundation’s Transformational Gift

We are incredibly grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for their lead gift of £500,000 in 2024 to help us realise our vision for the Centre of Excellence, in turn encouraging national and global learning and knowledge sharing of traditional heritage crafts and cutting-edge technologies. 

The Centre is crucial for helping us to secure the environmental, financial and heritage sustainability of York Minster for many years to come and Garfield Weston’s support has played a key part in enabling this to happen. 

“We believe in supporting a diverse range of charities across the UK. From local community initiatives to large national projects, the common thread is that all our grantees make a real positive difference, improving lives and strengthening communities throughout the country.” 

-Sophia Weston, Deputy Chair of the Garfield Weston Foundation

The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded grant-maker that supports charities across a wide range of sectors throughout the UK, all of which make a positive difference in their communities. Since its establishment, it has awarded nearly £1.7 billion in grants. In the 2024–2025 financial year, the Foundation gave away almost £130 million to 2,967 charities.