Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST)
QEST plays a pivotal role in developing and maintaining excellence in British craftsmanship.
1997 QEST SCHOLAR
In 1997, Deborah Carré was awarded a QEST Scholarship to train as a handsewn shoe maker. The scholarship changed her world from marketing to maker under the tuition and guidance of master shoemaker Paul Wilson.
“The QEST scholarship means everything to me, both the financial support it provided but also a belief in myself as a craftsman, giving me the confidence to pursue handsewn shoe making as a business.”
Today, Carréducker keeps the handsewn craft firmly at its heart in Carreducker’s versatile, showcase/workspace in London’s iconic Oxo Tower Wharf .
2018 QEST AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
In 2018, Deborah received the QEST Award for Excellence at the Royal Warrant Holders Association Annual Luncheon in recognition of Carréducker’s ambition for the handsewn craft. For nearly 20 years, she and business partner James Ducker, have inspired hundreds of handsewn shoemaking enthusiasts, enthused future generations of shoe makers and championed the craft to a global audience of bespoke customers.
2019 – 2024 QEST TRUSTEE
In 2019, Deborah was appointed a QEST Trustee, one of the first alumni to sit on the Board, standing down in October 2024 to pursue a PhD. Over that time, improving the equality, diversity and inclusiveness of British craft became a key focus for the organisation, now firmly embedded in its values, structure and activities and its ambition to showcase craft in its many forms as a career opportunity to young people was realised through partnerships e.g. Employers & Education and the National Saturdays Club.