MIKE Shorer has been designing and making jewellery for more than 40 years.

He has made trophies for some of the country’s top sporting events, including snooker, darts, horse racing, shooting, poker and fishing.

The likes of legends Phil “The Power” Taylor and Ronnie O’Sullivan have held up Mike’s award-winning work in front of millions of television viewers.

But he has always had one ambition he hadn’t achieved.

Until now that is.

And that was to produce trophies for Superbike events at Brands Hatch.

Mike, who works from his own studio in Newhaven, said: “I was absolutely thrilled to be asked to make trophies by True Heroes Racing.

“They are a race team using the world of competitive motorcycling to help rehabilitate limbless and traumatised UK service personnel and veterans.

“I was commissioned to produce two memorial trophies, one for a rider in the 1000cc category who had overcome incredible adversity this season and one in memory of an amazing lady who co-owned one of the top Superbike teams who sadly lost her fight with cancer recently.

“I always make my trophies to be unique and included in the design is something relevant to the award.

“I always identify elements of what something is about when I am working on it.

“The two trophies for Brands Hatch took me about a month each to complete. It was a great honour.

“It was magic for me. Everything I had been waiting for just clicked into place.”

Mike has been working with promoter Barry Hearn for 29 years, providing trophies for his William Hill World Darts and snooker events.

Other work he has done include trophies for The South Bank Awards and jewellery for the Royal family, rock and rollers and film stars.

Mike said: “I like to think my work is up to West End and Bond Street standard.

“I worked as a jeweller in Chelsea for ten years before I came to Sussex.

“I am a seventh generation goldsmith and my work is unique.

“What I do is tailored to each client and each design brings out the personality of the person I am working for.

“I liaise with each customer and pick out individual details from each of them which I then use in the design.”

Mike specialises in bespoke jewellery at www.mikeshorerjewellery.com and his other company Historic Jewellery Reproduction supplies museums and TV and film dramas with exact copies of historical pieces.

In 2013, he was asked to create two pieces for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh to commemorate their visit by Newhaven Chamber of Commerce. The jewellery was presented to The Queen.

It included a reproduction Romano-British horse brooch from the second century for The Queen, as she has a passion for horses.

The brooch was made in gold plated English pewter with blue and green enamel.

The second piece was for Prince Philip and was a gold plated English pewter tie pin based on a Tudor rose, inspired by one of the artefacts found on the Mary Rose.