A TALENTED carpenter from Appleton used a 'lost trade' to secure a place in the finals of a national apprentice contest.

Ryan Beckett, 19, won the trophy for Warrington & Vale Royal College and secured a place in the national finals of the Gorilla Glue Apprentice of the Year competition.

Apprentices had to create projects made from wood, using only Gorilla Glue products.

Ryan, a former Bridgewater High School pupil, took the crown thanks to his biscuit barrel creation, which he made using a lathe and several pieces of wood fixed together with Gorilla Glue.

He will now go to the finals where he will need to come up with his own upcycling project and video diary, detailing every step, for the finals judges.

Working with seven colleges across the UK, Gorilla Glue will hold the final in March, alongside National Apprenticeship Week.

Ryan said: “I really enjoyed doing this because I got to do something that I love.

"I used a lathe and that’s a trade that is becoming slightly lost and few people now do it, so I was glad to be involved in the competition and I want to carry on doing it. I am really excited for the final.”

The final judges will comprise of Gorilla Glue Europe MD Simon Damp, Apprentice Builder Magazine editor Lee Jones and former BBC Young Carpenter of the Year, Tibby Singh Chodha.

Lee Moorhouse, carpentry tutor at Warrington & Vale Royal College, said: “We are all looking forward to the next stage and hope to see this competition developed into something much bigger in the coming years.”

As part of Warrington & Vale Royal College’s partnership with Gorilla Glue, carpentry and joinery students were able to benefit from an interactive demonstration from the company, as well as receiving a year’s supply of Gorilla Glue products.

Simon Damp, managing director of Gorilla Glue Europe, said: “We have launched the 2018 Apprentice of the Year competition to work with the trade professionals of the future and to find an apprentice who really stands out, with talent and a natural flair for their trade.”

Fellow carpentry and joinery apprentices Matthew Wilcock, Alex Ridgeway and Christopher Woods all produced exceptional projects, including a chair, light and coffee table.

Simon added: “We were extremely impressed by the quality of all of the apprentice’s work at Warrington & Vale Royal College, and the hard work that their project demonstrated. However, Ryan really stood out, and his project really fits the Gorilla Glue credentials – it’s tough, durable and he is a worthy winner of the Warrington & Vale Royal College heats.”