AN ABERGAVENNY granddad wowed the crowds at one of London's newest festivals earlier this month.

Clive Lillow, aged 75, was one of nine star attractions to take to the stage at GrandFest on June 13.

Mr Lillow hosted three packed masterclasses teaching the art of bread making at the festival organised to celebrate the traditional skills older people possess.

The one-day festival, hosted by the Royal Voluntary Service, saw talented ‘GrandMakers’ from across the country running free master classes in their specialist skills.

Master classes available included crochet, preserve making, wood turning and sequence dancing.

Bread making has been in 75 year-old Mr Lillow's family since the 1800s. He first became interested in practising the art as a young boy when he would watch his great aunt in her bakery in a small village in west Wales. He began to experiment and making bread quickly became a life-long passion. He now makes fresh bread every other day for him and his family to enjoy.

Clive, speaking after his masterclass, said: “GrandFest was a fantastic event and it was great to see so many people interested in my bread making masterclass. It’s really easy to make your own tasty loaf at home that’s far better than anything shop-bought and I hope my masterclass attendees have gone home and given it a go.”

Clive uses traditional techniques and methods dating back as far as 4,000 years ago. He believes the best recipe involves just a few simple ingredients and anyone can easily bake delicious bread far superior to shop-bought loaves.

Clive enjoys baking cakes with his nine year-old twin granddaughters and hopes that when they are a little older, he can begin to inspire them to take up bread-making themselves.

David McCullough, chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, says: “Clive’s masterclass was fantastic, his enthusiasm and expertise was appreciated by everyone who attended it. We are delighted and overwhelmed by what a success GrandFest was. It’s great to know that there are so many people out there who, in this technological age, want to learn a real skill. The atmosphere was fantastic and to top it all off we’ve raised thousands of pounds to help us continue to enrich the lives of older people across the UK."

Clive’s masterclass at GrandFest can be watched here: http://grandfest.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/