Conservators came together at the Suffolk Show's Restoration Hub

Organised by the Rug & Carpet Studio in Suffolk, 'The Restoration Hub' was a new initiative and a worthy opportunity for a stand at the Suffolk Show, a two-day event celebrating the best of Suffolk.

Held on the 31st May and 1st June 2022, six conservation businesses came together under one tent roof to demonstrate their work and to converse with the general public about conservation.

The Suffolk Show draws in over 90,000 visitors - and the Restoration Hub was certainly an attraction for the avid fans of the BBC's The Repair Shop. From rugs to ceramics, book binding, furniture, upholstery and saddle leather repairs, there was plenty of expert advice on offer.

Icon member Harriet Sylvester was one of the conservators at the Restoration Hub:

"It was certainly a great opportunity to raise awareness of my new business, Hythe Conservation, within the area.

As an associate member of Icon, I became a Conservation Ambassador and displayed Icon promotional material alongside my work such as the Icon News, flyers, pencils and notepads. The pencils and notepads were certainly a hit! 

Any enquiries for other materials not covered by our businesses, such as paintings, were redirected to the Conservation Register as a search tool.

A thoroughly enjoyable and sociable two day event, which will hopefully encourage the safeguarding of artefacts and prevent the idea of reaching for the bin first!

This is potentially the start of a variety of more shows to come, promoting conservation to a wider audience."

Find out more about Hythe Conservation here, and about The Rug & Carpet Studio here.