Former Endeavour Heritage Award Recipients
Where are they now?
Once a BASET Award winner, always a BASET Award winner. After their studies, our recipients become part of a lifelong community, with BASET staying in touch to offer support and celebrate each new step. Here are a few of their latest updates.
Samantha Levick
I am happily still in the UK! Since graduating from West Dean, I’ve been working both in the UK and in Greece. I first worked at the Science Museum to lead on their packing and transporting the fragile collections out of London to their new storage facility. I then worked as a conservator in Greece on a Mycenean archaeological site (lots of amazing finds!), and finally, I’m now working at the Museum of London as an archaeological archivist. It’s an interesting role - I’m cataloguing/auditing the finds from the Bloomberg excavation of the London Mithraeum. I studied Classics and archaeology prior to conservation, so this role is a great mix of both my interests!
Benjamin Colt
To everyone at BASET, thank you for funding my studies last year. With your support I have funds left over to complete my degree free from financial stress, for which I am ever grateful. The instrument I started last year is now finished and has been well received by my tutors and pears. I am also very proud to have my instrument be the joint recipient of the Tom Jenkins Award.
The guitar I am making this year has been a small nightmare at every step and I have resigned myself to finish only one instrument this year. Although I would have preferred to be more productive, I remind myself that I have learned so much through my mistakes and will return home better off for my struggles. I am looking forward to returning to Australia on and am confident my time at West Dean has put me in a position to succeed as an instrument maker. Thank you BASET for facilitating this wonderful chapter in my life and I hope you all are well.
Amy Walsh
I’m currently living in Carlisle working for a private organisation called Fine Art Restoration Company, but I will be relocating to their London office at Somerset House. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to living in a livelier city after 6 months in Carlisle.
Eleanor Smith
After receiving a BASET Endeavour Heritage Award to study Book and Library Conservation at West Dean College, Eleanor completed her Master’s and stepped into the world of heritage conservation at the highest level. “I’m extremely grateful to BASET for their support during my graduate diploma year at West Dean - making all of this possible.”
What followed was a nine-month fellowship in the conservation department at the The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.“This has been an exceptional opportunity to consolidate and expand my skills working in one of Europe’s leading conservation departments.”
Now, Eleanor is preparing to take up a new role as Assistant Book Conservator at the Royal Bindery, Windsor Castle - a brilliant next step in her conservation journey.
Sarah Shepherd
This last year has just flown by, it is so lovely to hear from you. I'm still in the UK and working for York Glaziers Trust, My partner managed to secure a working visa until 2026 through his employer and so I am currently a dependent on his visa. We are off home soon to visit family so I think we're both looking forward to it.
Are you a past award winner? We’d love to hear your news - drop us a line at baset@britain-australia.org.uk.
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