The award-winning skill of a young stonemason has prompted a personal appeal for more school leavers to follow in his footsteps.

Jonathan Rayfield from Cholsey has just been awarded the title Apprentice Mason of the Year after triumphing in the UK championships in Leeds.

And the 21-year-old craftsman’s success has led him to join boss Angus Jones to highlight how the industry is suffering from a lack of young talent.

Mr Rayfield, who is in the third year of his apprenticeship with AF Jones Stonemasons based at Ipsden, near Wallingford, said: “The award was brilliant news and I am really pleased and proud.

“The thing I love about being a stonemason is that the work is different every day.

“And you know that what you do will often be around for 100 years or even longer if I am working on a church.”

Mr Rayfield attends Moulton <<ok>> College in Northampton on block release as part of his apprenticeship which he is due to complete next summer.

Having studied art and design at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, he travelled in Australia for five months before starting work at the firm.

He added: “Stonemasonry is a dying trade — more people need to do it and I don’t think there is enough awareness of it.

“I never realised how important it is and how much it is around us on buildings.”

Angus Jones, boss of the family firm which was started in 1858 by his great-great-grandfather, William Jones, said: “Jonathan is immensely talented and a real artist.

“He has developed a wonderful portfolio of carvings over the last couple of years. And for us as a company it is fantastic — our apprentices are the bedrock of the firm.”

Mr Rayfield follows in the footsteps of Tim Gash, now production manager at the firm, who won the same prize five years ago.

AF Jones, which specialises in the conservation of churches and old buildings, as well as the construction of bespoke new homes. Projects have included replacement carvings for Oriel College, Oxford and work on several town houses in the city’s Park Town and Norham Gardens.

It employs 25 staff and the majority have come through the company apprenticeship scheme.

Mr Jones added that the stonemasonry trade has suffered generally from a lack of apprentices in recent years.

He said: “It is a massive problem for the industry, especially in the restoration and conservation side of the business. You just don’t see quality craftsmanship coming out of the younger age group.

“We have been very luck in that the guys who come and work for us are interested and excited by what they are doing.”

Mr Jones said the firm was relatively busy despite the troubled economy, although some of that was due to other stonemasons’ firms folding.