York Guides

(Farming Life)

A village blacksmith has received a grant of more than £22,000 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs'

Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) to help expand his business.

James Godbold, of Egton on the North York Moors, has been in business for 20 years manufacturing hand-crafted wrought iron and steelwork for a range of clients across the country.

As well as working on garden gates, railings and street furniture, James also undertakes specialised commissions, such as replica medieval torture equipment for the London Dungeon, and specialist restoration projects.

Expanding his business further, James has diversified into manufacturing a huge range of bespoke items, from weather vanes to handforged fireside furniture. Much of what he produces is sold to tourists visiting the north York Moors National Park.

The grant from the RES has funded a new showroom, which enables James to display his wares to potential customers.

James Godbold said: "We can draw and manufacture almost anything on site, and we have built up a reputation for producing work which has proved impossible to obtain from anywhere else.

"We pride ourselves on the quality of our craftsmanship and we're very grateful for the grant from DEFRA that has made it possible for us to display our craft items in style."

James Hodgson, an adviser at the Rural Development Service for Yorkshire and Humber, said: "James Godbold is a highly-talented traditional craftsman who was looking to expand the range of handmade craft items offered for sale.

"He needed to build the extra showroom to display the full range of items available to individual clients, and to tap into the custom available from tourists."