A triumphant trio of Buckinghamshire New University students have collected certificates after completing a programme on upholstery and soft furnishing.

Jeff Day, Ann Newbold and Dorothy Rayner study BA (Hons) Furniture: Conservation, Restoration & Decorative Arts and completed the qualification to supplement the skills learned on their course.

The Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers Level 2 qualification is carried out one day a week for a year at Rycotewood Furniture Centre at City of Oxford College, a partner of Bucks New University’s National School of Furniture (NSF).

Skills learned included stitching and stuffing seat pads; upholstering deep-buttoned seats or headboards and covering sprung, armless chairs. The students were presented with their certificates alongside others who had completed the course at an event at City of Oxford College, where their work was also on show.

Course Leader Paul Tear said: "This qualification helps Conservation students who will be looking to specialise in upholstery conservation as they now have an industry-recognised qualification. They were taught by the well-respected Gregory Cupitt-Jones, who is also an associate lecturer at Bucks New University, and the extra skills should stand them in good stead."

The NSF is a partnership between Bucks New University and Rycotewood Furniture Centre Industry aimed at training and educating people with the skills needed by the furniture industry.