A TRAINEE glassblower at a York company has won a prestigious national award for her skills in creating intricate laboratory equipment.

Eloise Alsop, 24, from Bootham, York, has been learning her craft at Dunnington-based YorLab, for the past two years.

Now her talent has been recognised after she was awarded the AD Wood Cup at the annual symposium of the British Society of Scientific Glassblowers.

She said: ‘’Winning this award and to be acknowledged by experienced glassblowers who truly recognise the level of work I have produced is a great confidence boost. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the chance to demonstrate the variety of techniques and skills I have learnt while working at YorLab.

“I have been doing this for two years and about three months now.

Before that I was glass engraver. I applied for the job at YorLab and got it.

She said: “Glassblowing is difficult. I think some people just pick it up easier than others, but it still takes hours and hours of practice.”

Also receiving recognition from the society was YorLab head glassblower Tony Mercer, who won the David Flack Memorial Trophy for the second year in a row with his highly intricate glass steam train.

Alex Davis, managing director of YorLab, said: ‘’It is fantastic to witness Eloise and Tony win these awards and I congratulate them both on their achievements. In Eloise’s case, it is great to see a young person flourish and be successful, using her creative ability to complement what she does every day. Our glassblowing team has 100 years’ combined experience between them and this creativity is an important part of helping the scientific industry to design and develop glassware to suit their individual requirements.”