From the moment he first witnessed the beating heat and effervescent colours of glassblowing Stephen Zawistowski knew exactly what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

Today more than four decades later the 58-year-old has achieved the prestigious title of maestro and is back in Bermuda to help youngsters learn the tricks of this intricate trade.

Mr Zawistowski, who grew up in Blackpool in north of England, is no stranger to the Island. He worked at the Tee Street Glassblowing Studio for five years in the early 1990s and has returned on a handful of occasions in the last few years to help with the apprentice programme at the Dockyard Glassworks.

“I left school at 16 and was quite good with my hands so I wanted to become a joiner,” said Mr Zawistowski. “I tried it for a couple of months but hated it.

“Then I saw an advert in the local paper for glassblower. I had never heard of it before but when I walked into the studio and there were around 40 people holding 6ft irons I knew this was for me.

“The Italian who run the place was called Giancarlo Toffolo, a Venetian maestro, who had two sons, neither of whom wanted to take on the family business.

“So he took me under his wing as a second son and taught me everything he knew.”

Mr Zawistowski’s work has taken him all over the world and he opened up a glassblowing business in the Cayman Islands.

The operation closed down in 2013 and for the last two years he has returned to Bermuda to share his knowledge and expertise with young Bermudians.

“Over the years I have been fortunate enough to do all sorts of work for important people like the Queen and John Major,” he said.

“Glassblowing is not the kind of job where you have a resume, it’s much more about experience and knowledge of the different technical aspects of the trade. It is great to be able to share what I know with young enthusiasts in Bermuda.”