One Year of Design-Nation UK Ltd: What We’ve Learned, What We’ve Achieved and What’s Next
As we celebrate our first year as an independent, not-for-profit organisation, and launch this little corner of the internet for craft, it feels like a particularly good moment to pause, take stock and reflect on what we’ve learned, what we’ve achieved, and what’s next.
Clare Edwards & Hayley Banks, 2026
A year ago, we took a leap of faith.
After 25 years of Design-Nation championing exceptional contemporary craft and design through different governance structures, Clare & Hayley officially set up Design-Nation as an independent not-for-profit organisation in 2025.
We knew it was the right thing to do, we’d been thinking about this structure for many years, but we also knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
Suddenly, Design-Nation was ours to build. There was no big organisation behind us, no large team or infrastructure to fall back on. It was the two of us, supported by a small freelance team, trying to build something sustainable while continuing to support our growing membership and deliver a programme of exhibitions, opportunities and professional development.
One year on, we are very proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve also learned a lot, made some mistakes, changed our minds, had things go brilliantly and other things not quite as planned, and there have definitely been moments and months when we’ve wondered how on earth we’re going to make it all work.
But we’re still here.
And, more importantly, we’re really excited about where Design-Nation is going next.
So, what have we actually done?
It feels like we’ve achieved so much this year.
We’ve delivered our biggest year of exhibitions and showcases, supported members at fairs and events across the country, welcomed our highest intake of new members ever, launched Honorary Membership, created new professional development and mentoring opportunities, developed new partnerships and continued to champion contemporary craft and design.
We’ve also spent a lot of time listening.
Listening to what members need. Thinking about what Design-Nation can become. And working out where we can make the biggest difference with the resources we currently have.
Becoming independent has given us freedom, but it has also made us much more aware of the realities of running a small organisation.
We can’t do everything! Although we are ambitious and resourceful, we are a small team of four, working part-time across two hemispheres. Capacity is an ongoing frustration but we have cracked UK/New Zealand time zones!
We’ve been turned down for funding applications. We’ve had to make difficult decisions about what we can afford to deliver. We’ve had ideas that we’ve had to put on hold. And we’ve had plenty of conversations that start with, “We’d love to do that, but how can we make it happen?”
We’ve learned a lot about governance, finance, fundraising, coding, automation, systems and all the things that nobody really tells you about when you set up an organisation. Perhaps that’s another post?
Some of it we’ve learned the hard way.
But we’ve also discovered that being small and independent can be a real advantage. We can listen, respond and change direction quickly. We can try and test new things. We can have conversations directly with our members and actually act on what we’re hearing.
And that’s becoming increasingly important to us.
Our community is at the heart of what we’re building.
It’s the member who gets an opportunity they wouldn’t otherwise have had.
It’s someone meeting another maker at an event and discovering that they have much more in common than they realised.
It’s members sharing advice, contacts and opportunities with one another.
It’s the conversations that happen at Collect, at exhibitions, during mentoring sessions, on study visits or over a coffee.
And it’s seeing someone’s confidence grow because they’ve been given the space, encouragement or opportunity to take the next step.
Those are the moments that make all the hard work worthwhile.
A few highlights
There have been lots of them, but we’ve asked the team to pick out some of the moments that have stayed with them.
Clare’s highlight
One of my highlights was launching Design-Nation’s first fundraising campaign as an independent not-for-profit.
To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we invited members and alumni to donate work to an online silent auction.
The response completely exceeded our expectations.
64 members and alumni generously donated 85 pieces of contemporary craft, and then our wider community got behind the auction and started bidding.
What I’ll remember most isn’t actually the money we raised. It’s the generosity.
People gave their work, their time and their support because they wanted to help Design-Nation succeed.
It was a lovely reminder that we’re not building this organisation on our own. There’s a community around Design-Nation that genuinely cares about what we’re trying to do.
Hayley’s highlight
For me, it has to be Collect 2026 – our best year yet.
Collect is always a special week. Bringing exhibitors, members, alumni, partners and friends together at Somerset House creates a real sense of occasion, and it’s often where some of the most interesting conversations begin.
It’s exhausting but exhilarating; every year we come away with new ideas, new connections and potential opportunities that continue long after the fair has finished.
So much of my work happens online, so being able to spend proper time with members – seeing their work, talking to them and introducing them to people, is a really important part of what Design-Nation is about for me.
It reminds you very quickly why you’re doing all the other stuff!
Collect 2026
Richard’s highlight
I couldn’t pick just one.
I’ve loved travelling around the country, meeting members and supporting them at shows.
The visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park stands out, as does seeing the Made Showcase come together.
There’s something very different about seeing members’ work in person and spending time with the people behind it.
Design-Nation Study Day to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 2026
Liz’s highlight
I very much enjoyed working with the selected artists of our 25th anniversary exhibition ‘Beneath the Surface’, to uncover the narratives behind their work, the thoughts and processes beneath their skilfully wrought surfaces.
Photo: Jules Lister
And then came some really good news
As we reached our first anniversary, we had some news that gave us an amazing boost.
We were awarded an Arts Council England Project Grant for Crafted Nation, an ambitious programme that will help us strengthen and grow our Design-Nation Hubs across the UK.
This is particularly significant for us because it builds on so much of what we’ve been learning over the past year.
We’ve heard again and again from members that they want more opportunities to connect. Not just online, and not just at exhibitions, but through meaningful relationships with people who share their interests, challenges and ambitions.
So, over the next 16 months, we’ll be establishing and supporting 20 Design-Nation Hubs across the UK.
Crafted Nation will strengthen and grow our UK-wide network, creating a more connected, resilient and inclusive national community of designers and makers.
We’ll be investing in volunteer coordinators, developing specialist communities, delivering exhibitions and public events with partners across the country and exploring new ways for members to connect through hybrid and digital activity.
We’ll also be developing networks around Retail & Commerce, Sustainability & Ethical Practice and Discipline-focused Hubs.
We know that creative practice can sometimes feel like a solitary journey. Through Crafted Nation we want people to find their community, share knowledge, develop their practice and discover new possibilities.
And hopefully, we’ll also create something that lasts beyond the funding!
One year in
We definitely don’t have everything figured out.
And as we sign off our first year accounts, we’re very aware of the financial reality of running a small independent organisation and the long journey we still have ahead.
We’re still learning. We’re still testing things. We’re still working out what Design-Nation needs to be and how we can make the biggest difference with the resources available to us.
We know there will be more challenges ahead.
But there have also been enough moments over the past year to know that we made the right decision.
We believe there is a real need for an independent not-for-profit organisation that puts designers and makers at the heart of what it does.
We believe contemporary craft and design deserves a stronger voice.
And we believe that bringing people together to share knowledge, make connections, open doors and support one another is one of the most powerful things we can do.
So, one year in, we’re proud of what we’ve built.
We’re incredibly grateful to the people who have helped us get here.
We know there’s a long way to go, and we’re still learning.
But we’re excited about what comes next.
Thank you
None of this would have happened without our brilliant small team, Liz Cooper and Richard Foot, or without the energy, generosity and patience of our members, partners, supporters, ambassadors, alumni and friends.
Thank you to everyone who has exhibited with us, joined Design-Nation, mentored a peer, supported a member, bought a piece of craft, made an introduction, shared an opportunity, answered one of our many questions, come to an event, shared our posts or simply encouraged us along the way.
We’ve had a big year.
And we’re only just getting started.
With all good wishes,
Clare & Hayley
Design-Nation