- Astrid Arnold, a carpenter from Newton Abbott in Devon, is Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2023.
- Crowned at Screwfix Live, Astrid won a £20,000 prize bundle, including tools, tech and training to help further her community-focused business.
- An ad van displaying the good news, surprised Astrid as she worked on a customer’s house in Chagford on 3 November.
Newly crowned Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2023 winner, carpenter Astrid Arnold, has been featured on an ad van to celebrate her success in her home county of Devon.
The ad van, featuring an 8m² image of Astrid with her trophy, which she received at Screwfix LIVE following the Screwfix Top Tradesperson final in September, visited Astrid whilst she worked on a job in Dartmoor.
The coveted award, which celebrates tradespeople across the UK and Ireland, saw local carpenter and owner of Touchwood South West stand out from the competition as she competed against nine other talented tradespeople from across the UK.
Astrid, 48, wowed the panel of industry judges with her incredibly technical and stunning carpentry work, her focus on sustainability within her business, and her passion for supporting women in her local community to gain valuable DIY skills.
Her company, Touchwood South West, is involved in several charitable initiatives that particularly support women in the industry, including ‘Women Build!’. Alongside the probation service, ‘Women Build!” helps women who are unemployed or on probation with their mental health through learning carpentry and woodworking skills.
Astrid walked away with an ultimate trade bundle of tools, technology and training worth £20,000 to help her grow her business. At the final of the competition, judges were impressed to hear she would be using some of the prize to invest in secondary school outreach and give young people more opportunities to follow a career in the trade.
Astrid said: “I’ve been blown away by the incredible amount of support Screwfix has given me since winning Top Tradesperson. Walking away with the transformative £20,000 prize bundle was amazing – and now to have my achievement recognised on a van in my home county of Devon – it’s very special indeed. Not only will it raise awareness of my services in the local area but could also inspire more female tradespeople to join the industry, which is so important to me.”
Jack Wallace, Marketing Director at Screwfix added: “The Screwfix Top Tradesperson award is incredibly special to us as a business. In the 14 years it has been running, we have seen it go from strength to strength, shining a light on tradespeople in our industry and the extra lengths they go to support their customers. The ad van we’ve unveiled today not only celebrates Astrid’s huge achievement, but also the important role of tradespeople within our local communities, something we at Screwfix are passionate about championing and something that Astrid demonstrated a very clear commitment to in the final.”
With 2023 marking the 14th year of the award, Screwfix Top Tradesperson celebrates experts of the trade in the UK and Ireland and highlights their professionalism, dedication, and exceptional skills.
To find out more about this competition, please visit screwfix.com/stt.
