A BRIDPORT furniture maker is passing on her skills to help others in the local area to join the trade.

Alice Blogg began her start-up business through Skill Shop and is "really excited" to be passing on her knowledge to others, having made a successful start to her venture.

Skill Shop helps people find a new hobby or a new skill. The group's website features lessons and courses with talented people, providing students with a platform to either expand their learning or develop a skill from scratch.

The focus is on learning through personal instruction, giving learners the chance to connect with their teachers either in one to one sessions, or as part of a small group.

After swapping a job in a London office for an apprenticeship with Baker Joinery in Dorchester, Alice has developed outstanding skills as a furniture maker. In addition to providing bespoke furniture for clients and fitting out the Dorset based chain of restaurants, The Stable, her work has been featured in Country Homes and Interiors, Hole and Corner, and Home Beautiful magazines, but she hasn't let it go to her head. Alice is always happy to share her secrets with newbies.

Alice said: “I’m really excited about offering these workshops, because it’s always good to pass on knowledge to future makers and to widen people’s view of what we do as makers. "It’s great to see Skill Shop promoting courses with people who might not be able to promote themselves, bringing lots of learning opportunities to the local area, and connecting local people.”

Through Alice's lessons, students will learn how to make one of Alice's large signature Teasel lampshades over the course of a weekend, or a smaller variation of the same theme in just one day.

After a tour of Alice’s workspace, including the forest where she collects the wood used in her furniture, she'll guide participants through the process, step by step.

Skill Shop co-founder, Matthew Bowen, said: “We were so excited when Alice said she wanted to come onboard.

"Her talents are out of this world, and we know that anyone who books onto one of her workshops will have an amazing time. Alice is a local hero who really gets behind the idea of forming friendships in the local community through the sharing of skills. We’re hoping to find many more like her."

Skill Shop founder Nick Street, said: “It is easy in today’s society to neglect the importance of learning new skills.

"The benefits of skills learning are not just learning something new, but meeting someone new in the local area and changing the way you view that particular skill for your whole life.”

For more information, visit skill-shop.com