Life 8 - Nottingham Lace

With unemployment figures rising across Europe and the U.S., why isn't there more demand to learn the niche craft skills that once brought wealth and fame to the industrial heartlands of the U.K.'s East Midlands? Owned and run by the tightly-knit Mason family who've been making lace for nine generations, Cluny Lace is the last of its kind, still making intricate and beautiful lace on its old jacquard machines. But opting for a career in textiles no longer seems to appeal to British workers. Cluny Lace now faces a dilemma - can East Midlands towns today find a place for the skills that made them rich? Or does the lace which Mrs. Thatcher once lauded as 'truly British' now belong on museum shelves or designer dresses worn only by fashionable elites?

'The program is thoughtful in its approach to the broad and common theme of `the more affordable mass produced item vs. the more expensive skilled craft item.'...The program ultimately poses the question 'What's good enough?' Today this type of product is a luxury item. Are there enough strong economies and consumers in the global marketplace to support the continuation of businesses such as Cluny Lace?...[Nottingham Lace] provides the viewer with a well-executed and focused examination of an interesting and relevant subject. Recommended.' Rue McKenzie, University of South Florida, Educational Media Reviews Online

'There is a continuous challenge of trying to strike a balance in the film[s]...[The films] can be used successfully in stimulating a discussion amongst the youth about the negative aspects of such a life as well as an exploration of alternatives.' Teboho Moja, Clinical Professor of Higher Education, New York University