A 21-year-old apprentice joiner has hammered out his place at the top and nailed a national award.

Greg Haining, 21, from Dunedin Canmore Group took the top spot in carpentry and joinery in the SQA and the Scottish Association of Timber Trade Teachers (SATTT) national competition.

Greg is on a day-release course studying carpentry and joinery at Jewel and Esk Valley College. He scooped the award for his excellent production of a door fitting known as a 'gallows' bracket which he made as part of his course work.

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The competition was an end of year test for his SVQ Level 2 and his piece selected as the Edinburgh entry surpassed competition from craft colleges around Scotland. Greg will be presented with the award in September.

Mr Haining, of Gorebridge, Edinburgh, was made redundant 18 months into an apprenticeship with another firm and then spent two years searching for an employer to help him complete his training. He then secured an apprenticeship with Dunedin Canmore in September 2011.

He said he was "really surprised" to win the award and happy to be learning a trade.

Workshop manager at Dunedin Canmore, Danny Grant, said: "We all appreciate the hard work Greg puts into his craft. To produce this quality of work and win a national competition shows the consistent standards of training our apprentices receive. We are delighted to invest in him and help him develop his skills."

Mr Haining will continue to SVQ Level 3.

(NE)