Jay Blades MBE to present the GREEN GRADS Awards 2022

GREEN GRADS founder and curator, Barbara Chandler, first met Jay nearly ten years ago when visiting the Out of the Dark charity he co-founded and ran to teach restoration skills to youngsters in High Wycombe. Now a much-loved face on television, Jay is known as the host of the globally-transmitted BBC programme The Repair Shop, where restoration experts and craftsmen revive family heirlooms and cherished antiques. Jay also has his own TV production company and runs a furniture restoration business. He has recently been appointed Co-Chair of Heritage Crafts.

Appropriately for GREEN GRADS, this spring Jay was appointed the first Chancellor of Bucks New University, from whom he holds a degree in criminology and philosophy. Here he is working with the University to develop new furniture-related courses and facilities.

Says Jay Blades: “I’m really excited to present awards at GREEN GRADS this year. Bringing talented Graduates together under one roof to celebrate their successes in sustainable design was something I just had to be involved with!”

“Jay is aligned so perfectly with the values of GREEN GRADS,” says Barbara Chandler. “Essentially, he promotes craft, repair and restoration, education and sustainability. As do we. At GREEN GRADS 22, we have created a platform for 50 new graduates from colleges all over the UK to show their innovatory ideas to heal the planet. We have design, materials, engineering, art, animation, and textiles. And lots and lots of craft from our remarkably hands-on cohort of 2022. We are promoting repair through our MEND & MAKE hub, with drop-in workshops. We have a willow-weaver, recently graduated from Hereford College of Art, demonstrating throughout the show. We will so love hosting Jay and sharing our joint values, and we thank him for making time on a Sunday in what I know is his particularly hectic autumn schedule.”Jay will present The Show Impact Award, for the person or project making the strongest impression at the show; The Change Maker Award for the person/project most likely to make an environmental difference in the future; and The Earth Award, for the person/project that most loves the planet. He will also introduce the winners of ECO STORIES (the GREEN GRADS Textile Challenge, and the Innovation Awards, presented by Design-Nation.”