A STALLHOLDER is helping to build furniture for ‘heroes’ on a BBC show being fronted by Repair Shop star, Jay Blades.

Antony Gotts, 38, is being featured as a regular on Jay’s Yorkshire Workshop which will be shown on BBC Two on Wednesdays at 9pm.

He runs his woodwork company, Handmade in Rossendale, on Rawtenstall market selling chopping boards, signs, benches, tables and more.

Antony, who is known on the show as Ant, was born and grew up in Rossendale and has recently relocated to Golcar in Huddersfield, however he still comes to the Rawtenstall every Thursday and Saturday to run the stall.

Ant said: “On Thursday at the market, virtually every customer who walked past my stall stopped for a chat about the show.

“I’m really happy it is on a Wednesday night because normally on a Thursday the customers tend to be the older ones and quite a lot of them come to the market for a chat.

“Every Thursday I chat to them about the Repair Shop and now on a Thursday I’ll be chatting to them about Jay’s Yorkshire Workshop and what I did on the show – it will be lovely.”

Ant is one of six passionate wood workers working alongside industry experts to help build items of furniture for people who have been nominated for doing something outstanding in their communities.

The workshop is based in Bradford and invites people from all over the country.

In the first episode, Ant is working to make an arbour for Anchor House care home in Doncaster after staff members moved in for nearly 60 days during lockdown to avoid spreading the virus to residents.

Ant added: “The whole show was just lovely to be part of. Each of the stories for the people our team made things for linked to me personally.

“It tugged at the heartstrings but it made you work harder to produce better items because you wanted to say thank you.”

Jay’s Yorkshire Workshop starts on Wednesday.