Rosie Winterton 2023-2024 WITDW Face Winner
Around The World: UK
Stonemason and Stone Carver
Rosie Winterton celebrates Women in Trade Day (Worldwide) holding her carving hammer and chisels. She is also the winner of our 2023-2024 WITD face competition.
WITDW: Briefly tell us about your tool, how important it is. Why and when you use it?
Rosie: It is my carving hammer and chisels. I use it for stone carving instead of masonry. It’s for more intricate detailing and artistic work. I was given it by my dad who trained me, he got it 50 years ago when he was doing his apprenticeship.
WITDW: Congratulations for winning our 2023-2024 face competition, what does Women in Trade Day mean to you?
Rosie: There is still such a stigma around women doing manual work, especially in a higher education sense. No female I went to school with was offered the opportunity to do a manual apprenticeship or course.
WITDW: How will you be celebrating the day?
Rosie: I’ll be posting a day in the life of a stonemason on my Instagram.
WITDW: What tips can you give to someone wishing to get into your trade?
Rosie: Stick with it. It’s not as easy as it looks and you’ll get blisters on your hands but they will fade and the feeling you get when you make your first stonework is unmatched.
WITDW: What changes would you like to see in your trade?
Rosie: More opportunities for women to get given apprenticeships. Women can be just as strong as men so give them the chance to show their skills.
WITDW: If you had a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it to change the world?
Rosie: My superpower would be strength, to show women are physically strong too!
Instagram @yorkshire__rosie (double underscore)