A PERSHORE blacksmith has followed in the footsteps of his ancestors and achieved his farrier permit.

Steve Cooper, of SE Cooper Blacksmiths, said he had to pass the five-year course for his wife who has stood by him throughout the gruelling process.

He said: “In 2006 I felt I needed something else with my work, so I went out with a friend of mine who was a farrier.

"After helping him once a week for a while I thought the job was fascinating.

“It has been hard work but to get the qualification means I am a proper blacksmith.

"I can do everything needed of a blacksmith from shoeing a horse to making a gate.”

Mr Cooper appeared in the Worcester News last week in connection with his work on the golden gates of Wood Norton, which once belonged to the French royal family.

But work on the gates was put on hold while he studied to achieve his goal of becoming a fully qualified farrier.

He said: “Six generations before my parents and grandparents had been full blacksmiths, and now I am carrying on the tradition.

“I had to pass the test for my wife, myself and the business, which has been on the back seat.

"I’m so proud of what I achieved. It has been hard work but worth it.”