Have you, or anyone you know, used exceptional craft skills in rescuing a crumbling historic house or bringing life back to a redundant industrial building? Or perhaps you have been instrumental in uncovering the beauty of a forgotten garden or repairing a place of worship?

However you might have done it, if your stonemasonry skills (or those of someone you know) have been involved in rescuing a part of the country’s built heritage, English Heritage invites you to enter the Craftsmanship category of its Angel Awards.

If you want to enter or nominate somone you now have until 19 May to do so, as the deadline has been extended.

The Telegraph newspaper, which helped establish the Awards, will be featuring interesting entries on its website and everyone who sends in an entry or nomination will be entered into a prize draw. Chosen at random, one entrant or nominee will receive a break in an English Heritage Holiday Cottage of their choice (see the cottages here). A short film will be made about a second project by a professional production company and the first 50 applicants will receive a signed copy of Simon Thurley's book, Men from the Ministry – How Britain Saved Its Heritage.

By entering or nominating, you will be giving the project involved the chance of national recognition for the hard work that has gone into it, which helps attract funding and more volunteers.

Everyone shotlisted is invited to the sparkling Awards Ceremony in London in the autumn. Previous shortlisted applicants have hugely enjoyed attending the event at the Palace Theatre in London and have felt that entering the Angels was far more rewarding – and enjoyable – than they could possibly have foreseen. You will also be helping to bring greater attention to the nation’s heritage at risk.

Among the entrants in the Craftsmanship category last year were stonemasons Mike Simpson and his son, Gary, whose restoration of Blenkinsopp Castle, which Mike inherited from his father, sent their careers spiralling off in a new direction in stone conservation. (Their story was in the November issue of Natural Stone Specialist and you can read it by clicking here. You can see a short video of the Angel Awards ceremoney here).

They did not win, but they were short-listed and Gary told Natural Stone Specialist afterwards: “It was quite fantastic to get to the final, to be perfectly honest.”

The Angel Awards are now in their third year. They were started by English Heritage, impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Telegraph newspaper to celebrate the efforts of local people in saving heritage at risk.

The variety of skills entered in the Craftsmanship category has covered a broad spectrum of skills. But English Heritage want to encourage more entries in this category, hence the incentives.

For entry details click here or for help email [email protected]