The Lady Haig Poppy Factory Framing Department has recently been awarded membership of the Fine Arts Trade Guild. The qualifications it awards are recognised worldwide. The head framer, Willy Magee, is a qualified Fine Arts Guild Framer and an established artist. He has been with the Factory for six years and before that he served in the Army Air Corps.
Willy said: “Working here has given me the chance to get on my feet. I don’t think I would have got a job anywhere else. In fact, it doesn’t seem like work at all. I am doing what I love.”
He and his colleague Andy Brown make up frames and mounts and also advise on the most suitable types of frames, for both aesthetic reasons and to conserve expensive pieces of artwork.
Andy, who served in the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, said: “Because of ill health I couldn’t get employment when I left the Army. I enjoy being here because it is like being in the Army – everyone knows what you are talking about!
“There should be more awareness for the men and women leaving the Forces. They need to know organisations like ours are here to help them.”
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Case Study: Willy Magee » 