A FORMER trout farm manager who became known as the ‘Helmsley Stick Man’ is celebrating his 18th year in business.

Ever since Keith Pickering turned his stick-making hobby into a business in 1999 he has supplied canes and sticks to A-list celebrities.

He made the famous magical stick held by Emma Thompson’s Nanny McPhee, has provided walking sticks for stars, sportspeople and royalty, and even created a staff for the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Based in the craft workshops at Helmsley Walled Garden, when Mr Pickering first started out he worked almost entirely to order and each stick would take a week or more to make.

Now, a large part of the business is selling components - stick shafts, antlers, horns and carving blanks - to the growing number of people who make sticks as a hobby.

He said: “If I’m being honest, I didn’t think we’d still be here 18 years on! I thought interest from the public might dwindle after a few years – but, actually, the exact opposite happened.”