I was confirmed as Champion Live Blacksmith of the year 2013 at the Dorset County Show on Sunday 8^th September for the 5^th time in my career. This title is given by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths to the blacksmith who earns the most points in “live competitions” at the county shows. Blacksmiths are given a limited time with a brief description of what should be made.

This year the competition was fierce and it was not until the last show that the title was confirmed when I won the competition to create an ornate bottle opener of  my own design in 1 hour.

Winning the competition at Dorset means a lot to me as there were so many excellent blacksmiths competing there.  Gaining the title also means a lot as throughout all the competitions it was a close race between the top 3 contenders. Both the other contenders are excellent smiths and so I had my work cut out to beat them.”