Funding Opportunity: VAG Winter Conference Bursaries (Deadline 24 February 2023)

The 2023 Spring Conference of the Vernacular Architecture Group will be held in Stockport,
Greater Manchester, from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 April 2023. During the day members
will tour the locality, visiting and interpreting lesser traditional buildings. Lectures and
discussions will be held in the evenings. The visits will cover Stockport’s medieval centre and
the village of Warburton (Wednesday), halls and barns of north Manchester (Thursday) and
Fairfield Moravian settlement and halls south of Manchester (Friday). The conference will be
based at Bredbury Hall Hotel.
The Vernacular Architecture Group is able to offer three bursaries to assist registered
students or professionals in the early years of their career to attend the Conference. The
Committee is aware that the cost often makes attendance difficult for students and others
who might benefit from the lectures and discussions, and from the opportunity to meet
people active in the field. Both full-time and part-time students are welcome to apply.
Applicants must be students of vernacular architecture or a related discipline, or early career
professionals working in the field. Candidates will be expected to:

1. show evidence of an active interest in historic buildings, ideally vernacular
   architecture, including a list of relevant courses undertaken
2. show evidence that they are active in the field, e.g. by membership of the VAG or
   other relevant groups, or through relevant work experience
3. explain how they hope to benefit from attending the conference

Applications from students must be endorsed by a course tutor, and applications from early
career professionals must be supported by a professional referee. Any other financial
support available to the applicant for attending the conference should be declared.
Applications and tutor endorsements/references should be sent by email to the VAG
Secretary, Claire Jeffery, email secretary@vag.org.uk to reach her no later than Friday 24
February. The bursary will cover the full cost of the £600 residential conference fee but will
not cover travel to or from the conference or any other expenses. Applicants who are already
members of the Group and propose to attend the conference with or without the support of a
bursary should ensure a place on the conference by booking in the normal way. Anyone who
has reserved a place at full cost but subsequently obtains a bursary will receive a full refund.

Bursary recipients will be asked to write a resume of the conference for the VAG Newsletter.
We hope that they will be sufficiently inspired by the conference to join the VAG if they are
not already members. The VAG Committee would be grateful if you could bring this item to
the notice of anyone who is eligible and who you feel would benefit from attending the
conference.