AN HISTORICAL chapel in Horsforth has been spruced up as part of a training course in Leeds.

Trainees on the Re-Making Leeds heritage construction programme have been carrying out work at a number of sites around the city - including the cemetery chapel in Horsforth, Leeds Town Hall and Lotherton Hall.

The programme, which was officially launched last November, saw the city council appoint specialists to teach the skills needed to repair and restore the city’s pre-1919 properties.

Leeds College of Building, York College and the Heritage Craft Alliance are teaching traditional arts including stone masonry, lime plastering and specialist joinery.

Among those already training on the programme is painter and decorator Laura Cunningham-Clarke, 26, who in the last few weeks has used her new skills at the Town Hall, Lotherton Hall and the 134-year-old chapel at Horsforth Cemetery.

She said: “I first heard about the course when I was at Leeds College of Building doing painting and decorating.

“It sounded like a great opportunity so I went for it but it was only when I actually started working on these old buildings that I realised how different to the usual projects it really is and started to appreciate the buildings for what they are.

“We have to take a lot of care because of how delicate some of the sites are, but we’re learning a lot and I’m really enjoying it.”

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, Leeds City Council’s executive member for digital and creative technologies, culture and skills, said: “Re-Making Leeds is helping us to address an important skills gap and giving a new generation of construction workers the training they need to take care of some of our most cherished cultural assets. By appointing these experts, we are ensuring that we have the right learning providers in place to pass on their specialist knowledge and equip trainees to protect and preserve our city’s heritage.”

Contact Sarah Neville, heritage construction skills development manager at sarah.neville@leeds.gov.uk or on 0113 39 57591 for further information.