On a Thursday evening at Antigua and Barbuda’s Galley Bay Hotel, eight local candidates selected for The King’s Foundation’s prestigious UK-based Building Crafts Programme received formal honors at a special cocktail reception. The event was hosted by Antigua and Barbuda’s Governor General Sir Rodney Williams and Lady Williams, and organized in partnership with the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies (ABCAS), with additional venue support provided by Galley Bay Hotel. The gathering served a dual purpose: to celebrate the candidates’ successful selection, and to mark a key milestone just weeks before their departure for the United Kingdom to begin their training.
In his address to attendees, Governor General Sir Rodney Williams extended warm congratulations to the selected trainees, emphasizing that this opportunity carries profound national importance that extends far beyond individual career growth. “This programme represents far more than individual advancement,” he told the gathering. “It is an investment in the preservation of our heritage and the strengthening of our national capacity. As you acquire these specialised skills, you will be contributing directly to the safeguarding of our historic buildings, including Government House, and to the development of more resilient approaches to construction in Antigua and Barbuda.” The Governor General urged the candidates to pursue the intensive training with dedication and clear purpose, noting that the skills and professional connections they build will benefit not only current residents of the island nation, but also future generations.
Founded by King Charles III in 1990, The King’s Foundation is a UK-based charity with a core mission of supporting inclusive, sustainable communities where people and the natural environment can thrive in balance. Each year, the organization provides educational and vocational training to close to 15,000 learners, runs health and wellness programmes that reach roughly 2,000 participants annually, and leads conservation, urban regeneration, and heritage planning projects across the UK and around the globe.
Through the partnership between ABCAS and The King’s Foundation, the eight successful candidates will take part in a rigorous seven-week training course hosted across multiple of the foundation’s UK sites, including Scotland’s Dumfries House Estate, London’s School of Traditional Arts, and Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire. The curriculum is specifically tailored to build hands-on practical expertise in historic building conservation and repair, while also integrating modern training in climate-adapted, disaster-resilient construction methods that address Antigua and Barbuda’s unique environmental vulnerabilities.
Trainees will gain direct, hands-on experience working with traditional building materials and techniques, learning from master craftspeople across specialized disciplines including carpentry, stone masonry, ironwork, roofing, plastering, technical drawing, and architecture. A core focus of the training is adapting these traditional skills to the specific needs of preserving Antigua and Barbuda’s own collection of historic built sites, equipping local practitioners to carry out high-quality conservation work independently after the programme concludes.
The pre-departure reception at Galley Bay Hotel offered a moment for local stakeholders to formally recognize the candidates and offer encouragement as they prepared to begin their international training opportunity. The event also highlighted the Governor General and Lady Williams’ longstanding commitment to advancing initiatives that expand educational access, protect national heritage, and drive inclusive national development for Antigua and Barbuda. In closing remarks, the pair expressed sincere gratitude to ABCAS, The King’s Foundation, and the Galley Bay Hotel leadership and staff for their collaborative work and support that made both the training programme and the celebratory reception possible.