Meet the staff

Stained Glass Craftsman : Philip Worsley

Philip Worsley joined the company last year from a completely unrelated job. He

wanted a change of direction and took on the job of trainee stained glass craftsperson. Although he had no previous experience working with glass his attitude to learning the new skills involved were excellent and he turned out to have a natural aptitude for the work. His confidence has grown with his skills and is a real asset to us and a credit to himself. He has shown a real willingness to learn and has just successfully competed his NVQ level 2 in Glass Processing administered by TEST Training Ltd.

Managing Director : Andrew Seddon

Andrew Seddon, Managing Director of Classical Glass and founder of the company in 1991.

“When I left school at the age of 16 I did an apprenticeship in Engineering with British Aerospace and much of the training I received has stood me in good sted for my new career as a stained glass craftsman. I trained as a draftsman and have always been a gifted artist and at working with my hands. To make some thing new and unique, something that can move people to tears with its beauty, a timeless piece of artwork from raw materials is a great privilege for me. I get lost in the shear joy of my craft. To pass this joy on to another gives me a deep sense of satisfaction.

When first I considered the prospect of training an apprentice I only had in my mind the skills and techniques that I could teach the trainees. However I have discovered, much to my surprise, that I had a lot to learn from each individual I worked with. I have discovered how people learn at different speeds and some will learn very quickly because they have a natural aptitude for the work. I have also learned new and improved techniques from watching how an apprentice has taken my knowledge and skills and adapted them to produce a much improved end result. I have had a lot to learn from the people I trained and when I look at the work they can now do independently I know that my love for the craft is being shared.

To me the vision for the future of Classical Glass Ltd is very clear.

·To treat all the people involved in Classical Glass Ltd, employees, customers and suppliers with respect and dignity.

·To seek excellence in every aspect of the business

·To continue the tradition of the stained glass craft through high quality training

·To communicate clearly the significant benefits of traditional stained glass windows in a modern world.

I believe that if we can fulfil these objectives then the future of stained glass manufacture at Classical Glass is secure for the next generation.”

Business Director : Corina Seddon

Corina joined her husband Andrew as a partner in the Classical Glass. A former teacher and graduate in psycology she has brought her natural ability to organise and administer to transform the company into the efficent business it is today.

She has a vision for excellence in all aspects of the business and has been the driving force behind registration with Constructionline ( Government register of pre qualified contractors ) and CHAS ( Register of Construction Health and Safety approved contractors ), involving a dedication to Business and Health & Safety improvements.

Corina also uses her artistic side to design and make the window displays. The latest display features a large stained glass butterfly that she designed and made.

Production Manager : Stephen Evans

Stephen Evans, 28, is our Production Manager and a stained glass craftsman. He joined the company when he was 19 coming from a job in retail. He joined the company as an apprentice, learning the skills of glass cutting and making stained glass. All the craft training was done in-house and we also arranged for him to be enrolled on the NVQ programme with a training provider, Glass Training Ltd. He worked very hard to achieve both a level 2 and 3 in glass processing.

Stephen has gone from strength to strength, showing excellent skills not only making the stained glass but also in speaking with customers and organising the work flow, so he was promoted to take on the role as Production Manager 3 years ago.

With the increasing demands of Health and Safety Legislation he has offered to take on the role as H&S coordinator and has recently completed the difficult NEBOSH health and safety course at Bury College.

Business Administrator : Paula Taylor

Paula is our business administrator, in charge of the accounts, payroll and is the hub of the business making everything work efficiently. She joined the company two years ago following a career break to bring up her children.
She joined the company, part time, as a trainee admin assistant, having had no direct experience of the type of work before. She passed 3 courses on Sage Accounting and achieved an NVQ level 2 in Business administration. She is also completing the final modules of the ECDL European Computer Driving Licence that has improved her computer skills. With the confidence that success in her other studies has given her she has now enrolled in a degree level course with the Open University in business administration. She has proved to be really excellent at and committed to her job.

Paula has been known to multi-task as can be seen here making some stained glass panels for Booth's Music Shop and taking phone calls at the same time.

Stained Glass Craftsman : Carl Whitehead

Carl Whitehead joined the company last year looking for a change from his previous career in personnel. He took up the opportunity to retrain as a stained glass craftsworker. Although he had no previous glass working experience, his natural skills and abilities have been matched to his new job. He has such patience and enthusiasm for this demanding job that he encourages everyone to strive to be even better at their jobs, always wanting to achieve an excellent result.

Classical Glass, Stained Glass Windows: Artisan of the Year 2008 Awards Winner

435-437 St Helens Road, Bolton, BL33RT, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, England, UK. Tel 01204 656382 fax 01204 657904