RENOWNED Teignbridge bonsai artist Simon Temblett has received a prestigious national award.

Simon, who has exhibited his trees across Britain and Europe, entered his Dawn Redwood at the prestigious ExpoBonsai UK show in Crawley.

Among the hundreds of trees from across the country being shown at the event, Simon’s statuesque entry scooped the top award in the Best Tree and Pot Combination category.

This latest honour comes after Simon received two golds at the national Bonsai Show Live event in Telford last October.

Simon said: “I was genuinely surprised to win at Expo. I always enjoy showing my trees at events like this, but you never do it with the expectation of winning, so when I received this award I was a bit taken aback.

“But it’s always gratifying to have your trees recognised by your peers, especially at a prestigious event such as Expo.

“I’ve never bought a bonsai tree in my life. All my trees have been grown or developed from scratch, often taking decades to bring them to their current display quality, so it’s very pleasing to have other people appreciate them at shows and exhibitions.”

Bonsai is a centuries-old craft that can be traced back to ancient China. The process of growing bonsai involves shaping and pruning the tree into a specific form and size.

Simon, who is deputy chair of South Devon Bonsai Society, is often invited to visit other bonsai groups across the country to give demonstrations of the bonsai artform.

Peter Evans, who has also exhibited trees nationally and internationally, is chair of South Devon Bonsai Society said: “Congratulations to Simon for this latest award. He is among the best bonsai artists we have in this country, and he’s a great ambassador for South Devon Bonsai Society.

For further information about the South Devon Bonsai Society, email [email protected]