Local Craftsman Gains Award

Local Craftsman Gains Award from Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths

Gino Rickard has been honoured with the title Associate member of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths following gaining his Diploma of Merit. This is a high accolade in the blacksmiths world and richly deserved by this now well known artisan.

Gino started his career when he was lucky enough to be accepted for an apprenticeship with Guisseppe Lund, a world famous blacksmith based in Brockenhurst.  He learnt his trade here and with Guiseppe’s good friend Tony Robinson in Ironbridge, another internationally known blacksmith. It is armed with this amazing wealth of knowledge and expertise that he joined the Nuco Welding team, where he learnt every aspect of working with various different types of metal and their possible applications. This tenacity and patience has led him to be the wizard of metal manipulation that he is today. He bought out the firm on the owners retirement and is based near Lymington.

He has won a long list of awards for his work, including many at The New Forest & Hampshire County Show where he has been exhibiting and competing since 1981. International Exhibitions that he has been asked to show at include the Modern Wrought Ironwork and Sculpture Exhibition - Lindau, Germany, Ceolfrith Gallery and Crafts Council "Forged Iron" Touring Exhibition  and the Winchester Museum "Wessex Iron" Exhibition.

Examples of his work can be found on his web site www.nucoforgeandwelding.com

In spite of all this fame, Gino knows that the Associate status he has just gained with The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths is the pinnacle of his career and he was very proud to receive this from Mr Keith Gabriel the Renter Warden.