(Photograph) - Tim Phipps from Exeter has won a pound;6,000 Queen Elizabeth scholarship to train as a thatcher. The 22-year-old Exeter university graduate will do a four-year apprenticeship to become a master thatcher and plans to grow roofing reeds on his family’s farm. The scholarships are awarded twice a year by a charitable trust set up by the Royal Warrant Holders Association to support training in British crafts.
Tim’s award, given to him by the Lord Mayor of the City of London earlier this month, will enable him to go on a 12-week intensive course at Knuston Hall in Northamptonshire. Photograph by JIM WILEMAN