CHAMPION cobbler Ken Simpson has a spring in his step after stitching up a fourth win in a national competition.

Years in the shoe repair industry have paid off for the 43-year-old, from Shildon, County Durham, who has taken a top award in a contest which tested the skills of craftsmen around the country.

He learned his trade from his father, Bill, who founded Simpson's Shoe Repairs in 1950 and still helps out in the shop, in Church Street, Shildon. Ken took over in the late 1980s and has customers from all over County Durham.

He said: "They are happy to travel a long way to find quality of workmanship."

The shoes which shone in the National Shoe Repair Craftsman of the Year competition will be displayed at a trade exhibition later this year. Ken's entry was judged the best in the men's leather welted stitched on sole and heel