SURROUNDED by remnants from Oxfordshire’s woodlands, sculptor Greg Knight-Benjafield reflected on the year which turned his career upside down.

The 50-year-old fell in love with the craft after his wife bought him a taster day on woodturning – the process used to make his bowls – last year.

He said: “The guy teaching me became my mentor. It was a completely new venture. I’ve always been interested in making things, but never as a career.”

Mr Knight-Benjafield, whose Burrwood [corr] Bowls studio is perched on the edge of a forest in Begbroke near Oxford, ditched his construction business to unleash his creativity.

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After 20 years in the industry developing properties he decided he wanted to do something more rewarding.

He said: “There was a lot of work involved. I wanted something different that would give me more time with my wife and my five children.

“I absolutely fell in love with woodturning from the moment I picked up a chisel. I loved the fact that the results were instant.”