Gloucester Cathedral has welcomed three new apprentices to the stonemasons team, thanks to generous funding by the Hamish Ogston Foundation.

Hannah Kendall has joined as a Level 3 apprentice after changing career paths from accountancy, along with Liam Winship and Elliot Lyster at Level 4.

Hannah is beginning her trade after two years at college, whilst Liam and Elliot are mature apprentices beginning the first year of the Cathedral Workshops Fellowship (CWF) Foundation Degree, leading to Level 5 in 2022 and graduation in 2023.

All three have now started training under Pascal Mychalysin, who has trained over 50 masons during his thirty years at Gloucester Cathedral.

Pascal Mychalysin, master mason at Gloucester Cathedral, said: "There are simply no better places than cathedrals to learn the wide range of skills, knowledge and expertise needed for the conservation, repairs and upkeep of our built heritage. It is not only helping to keep the buildings safe, it is also saving the skills and knowledge for the next generation.

"Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Hamish Ogston Foundation, our cathedral workshops in Gloucester and nine other cathedrals, will formally become what they always were: Training Centres of Excellence for Heritage Craftmanship. They will be better equipped to perform their mission, and this will enable them to bring it to an even higher degree of excellence."

Hannah Kendall, apprentice, said: "After reassessing what I wanted out of a career, I decided to leave accountancy and retrain in stonemasonry. I have spent a couple of years at college and am excited to continue learning from the wealth of experience of the team here. Gloucester Cathedral is an amazing building with a rich history, and I feel privileged to work here."

Liam Winship, apprentice, said "I am very passionate about my trade and have been moving around the last few years trying to gain the best experience and training possible. This is what lead to me Gloucester. As a stonemason, it does not get much more prestigious. It is very exciting to work in such a beautiful and historically significant building."

Elliot Lyster, apprentice, said: "I went into a stonemasonry apprenticeship in Oxford after school. On finishing, I saw the job at Gloucester as a perfect way to keep learning and improving among a skilled and experienced team. I look forward now to working on such a complex building and in such a happy environment."