JENNY Sibley, a painting and decorating apprentice at National Trust's Cotehele has been awarded first place in the South West at the prestigious 'Dulux Decorator Centres apprentice of the year competition'.

The South West contest took place on March 27 in Bristol. Each contestant had to complete a series of practical demonstrations, comprising various elements of painting, wallpapering, stencilling, broken colour work and masking.

Jenny said: 'The judges gave us a design and measurements; and we were each given a cubicle to work in and the tools we needed to complete the job.

'We had six hours to complete our projects then the judging took about an hour so everybody was really tired by the end. I couldn't believe it when they announced I was the winner. I was so excited and happy.'

Jenny will go on to represent the region at the national competition in Birmingham in June.

Jenny , 20 , lives in Tavistock, and is an NVQ level 3 painting and decorating student at City College, Plymouth. She has been an apprentice with the building team at Cotehele for two and a half years.

Roger Eley, Cotehele's building supervisor, said: 'I'm over the moon. I've watched Jenny grow from a quiet, shy student to a very capable and skilled professional. I'm thrilled with what she's achieved. This award proves what we already know – she's brilliant at her job.'