A LITTLEPORT man who was one quarter of the winning 2005 world championship snow- carving team flew out to Switzerland to defend his title earlier this month, helping create this stunning snow sculpture (right). Tim Peacock, 34, was brought up in Littlepo

A LITTLEPORT man who was one quarter of the winning 2005 world championship snow- carving team flew out to Switzerland to defend his title earlier this month, helping create this stunning snow sculpture (right).

Tim Peacock, 34, was brought up in Littleport, but now lives in London, where he teaches sculpture at the Byam Shaw School of Art.

For one weekend of the year, however, he goes to Grinderwald in Switzerland, where he and his three team-mates create a sculpture from a 40-tonne block of ice using only hand tools, competing against teams from France, America, Canada and even Mexico.

This year, Mr Peacock and his team took second place with this sculpture based on a set theme - "passion" - losing out to the German group.

"It's very hard graft," he said.

"It's a killer because you're shovelling about 20 tonnes of snow."

The British team faced the added difficulty of an injury within

the group.

"One of our team really hurt her shoulder on the toboggan run," Mr Peacock said.

"It was left to two of us to do the shovelling."

Mr Peacock, who went to Littleport Primary School and City of Ely Community College before studying art and sculpture at Winchester University, said that the British climate is far from ideal for a snow carving team.

"The only thing is that we don't get much of a chance to practise," he said.