A STAINED-glass craftsman who employs techniques used in the North-East for more than 1,000 years is helping to revolutionise the industry.

Peter Shipley, of Shipley Stained Glass, in Sunderland, is working with scientists at Newcastle University to find a way of attaching new lead to old windows, a traditional problem area in the industry.

The former care worker established his business after taking up the art form as a hobby.

"The methods that I use are almost identical to those of the master craftsmen who created the windows of Monkwearmouth Church over 1,000 years ago," he said.

"There is still a demand for traditional stained glass, not only from the obvious places like churches and public buildings, but also from homeowners and businesses looking for something distinctive and unique."

His skills at creating and restoring handmade windows has led to commissions across the region. He is also looking to form a co-operative of North-East craftsmen, to tender for larger, more complicated projects.

"Most of my day-to-day work involves the repair of stained glass from residential properties," he said.

"Many homes built in the 1920s and 30s, for example, have a lot of stained glass and many homeowners are now preserving and restoring this instead of installing UPVC."

He set up Shipley Stained Glass with help from Social Enterprise Sunderland, which also arranged a reduced rent on premises in Stanfield Business Centre.