A former school teacher whose name more than lives up to her skillset has been crowned Britain's best woodworker.

Lauren Wood, from Larkfield, won the second series of Channel 4's Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker shaving her fellow finalists, caretaker Jacob Bell and student Chloe Hook, to the title.

The programme, hosted by Mel Giedroyc, features 10 woodwork enthusiasts from across Britain battling to be named the country's best woodworker by two judges.

Their challenges have included making daybeds, childhood-inspired toys and sea-inspired sculptures.

They also take part in a skills task, with challenges such as pyrography – decorating wood by burning a design on the surface with a heated metal point – and turning a spinning top, which gives them the chance to win immunity.

In the series' final screened earlier this month, the three remaining contestants were tasked with building an entire bar, complete with a sign, all from scratch.

Mum-of-two Lauren's 'Never Been Nailed' bar, named for her commitment to never using nails or screws during her time in the competition to showcase "pure joinery", secured her the win.

She said: "It felt incredible to win, I've always followed the ethos that nothing worthwhile is ever easy. I had to show resilience and optimism, whilst working as hard as I could to achieve success on the show.

"All that hard work gave me an amazing feeling of achievement. I felt like it all paid off."

Lauren's love for building and woodworking began in her early teens, when she and her twin sister, Lydia, were inspired by the television programme Ground Force to create their own landscaping business.

The technician, who currently works for her twin's landscape architecture firm, Hill-Wood & Co, in Maidstone, was convinced to apply for the programme by her wife, Martha.

Lauren had kept her win a secret from friends and family, saying: "The best part about watching the final was feeling the tension in the room, and then seeing the excitement on everyone's faces when the winner was announced.

"I wouldn't have been able to enjoy that as much as I did, if they already knew the outcome. It was great!"

During her time on the programme, Lauren's builds included a children's toy moped, a penguin sculpture and a day bed, which is now used by her 20-month-old daughter Etta.

Since winning, the 36-year-old said being a mum to daughter Etta and son Kit, three, is her main priority. She added: "Nothing has changed for me too much. My family comes first.

"Hopefully there will be some commissions in the pipeline. There has already been a lot of interest in my website, which is great. And I've connected with some lovely people on Instagram, who have supported me throughout the series."

Lauren has named her Instagram account 'woodsmything', explaining: "When people ask your party trick, I don't really have one, but wood is just my thing. It's the only thing I think I properly fully get. It just makes sense to me."

Lauren's Instagram page is where she shares updates on her woodworking projects, holds Q&As, and has video tutorials for anyone looking to learn about woodworking.

As for her plans for the future, Lauren said: "I'm planning on increasing the size of my workshop to accommodate some of the bigger builds that I can make, and it seems lots of people are interested in a YouTube channel, to help them in their woodworking journey."

Lauren is also working on a website for her products, including chairs, tables, lamps, and a personal request section.

She added: "I would love to think there is more woodwork on the cards for me. Hopefully I'll be able to do a bit more woodwork than I currently do.

"Ultimately the best thing to come from the show were the friendships I made with the cast and crew. And of course being able to use that workshop was incredible. I was a kid in a sweetshop."

Her advice to anyone considering applying for the programme is this: "It doesn't matter what level of woodworking ability you think you have.

"We all learnt from one another, and we all had strengths and weaknesses in different areas.

"I very nearly didn't apply, knowing I would have been away from home. But it really was worth it. It wasn't all easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is."