A colourfully creative painting and decorating apprentice from Lanarkshire shone when testing her skills against top scorers across the UK at the first ever grand final of the Painting and Decorating Association (PDA) Apprentice of the Year competition.
Hope Phillips, 18, is a student at the Bell Apprentice Training Centre in Airdrie, and an apprentice with the Bell Group.
She achieved the top score in the junior category in a regional heat held at the City of Glasgow College in March.
Hope then battled it out against three other finalists, selected at regional heats in Accrington, Birmingham, and North Kent, at the grand final held at Doncaster College and University Centre.
Overall winners and runners-up in junior and senior categories will be invited to receive their accolades as part of the PDA Premier Trophy Awards ceremony at Plaisterers’ Hall in London next month.
Andrew Davis of the Association of Painting Craft Teachers (ACPT) judged the finalists’ work alongside PDA chief executive Neil Ogilvie.
Neil told Lanarkshire Live: “The grand final event has been a huge success and it's been fantastic to see the level of work produced by these apprentices, who are well on their way to a productive career in colour.
“This has been a record year for the competition, which has expanded from three regional competition days to four regional heats and a grand final in 2023 due to record demand.
“We’d like to thank the team at Doncaster College and University Centre for hosting our first event grand final, as well as our sponsors, Crown Paints, CITB, Purdy Professional Painting Tools, Valspar Trade and Ciret UK, without whom we wouldn’t have been able to provide this opportunity.”
Kevin O’Donnell, senior technical demonstrator at Crown Paints, the main sponsor of the Premier Trophy Awards 2023, said: “Painters and decorators have an unparalleled ability to bring colour, life and character to buildings through their work.
“It’s important that the industry maintains a strong pipeline of enthusiastic, skilled young people working in the trade.
“That’s why we’re incredibly proud to sponsor a competition that supports and nurtures the next generation of talented professionals.”
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