A woman training as a stonemason says it is an “honour” to help build a new nature hide at the headquarters of a foundation set up by King Charles.
Jennie Regan, 45, from Paulton in Somerset, was responsible for carving the circular stone block in the centre of the floor of the hide on the 2,000-acre Dumfries House estate in East Ayrshire.
She was inspired to take up the stonemason role by her grandfather’s job as a bricklayer in Yeovil, seeing the pride he had in his work at places such as Montacute House.
Ms Regan said she wants to move into the heritage sector in places like Bath and continue her stonemasonry career.
Ms Regan said it was a chance post on social media that led her to quit her admin job and start a stonemasonry course at Bath College – one of the very few places in the country to have a class in the skill.
She said: “I enjoyed it. The tutors were very encouraging, and then the course with the King’s foundation was highlighted to me, which is a really nice thing to do because it gives you a sample of lots of different things.”
She spent three months in Scotland building the project in Dumfries, and said the diversity of people working on the scheme was “really nice” and it was an honour to work for the King’s foundation.
Reflecting on her career change in her 40s, she said: “My choices are probably different to the people coming into the business.
“The guys in their 20s… they’ve obviously got more opportunities.”
She said rather than go into architectural work, she preferred more creative, crafting jobs as it fits her lifestyle.
