From the moment his brother handed him two intricate hand puppets for his 8th birthday he knew where his future lay.

And several decades later he is indeed making a living from his vocation.

John's company Puppetcraft tours across the UK delighting audiences in theatres; schools and village halls with an extensive repertoire including The Selfish Giant, The Amazing Adventures of Sinbad and currently The Mousehole Cat.

Throughout his South African childhood his interest in puppetry grew and he created and performed shows during his teens for family and friends.

He even began to make money charging for his shows, which became more intricate and ambitious with each performance.

John Roberts is literally living his dream as a puppet maker.

He credits one book 'Your Puppetry' by John Wright as his main inspiration.

"It's a gem of a book," he said. "It's a really personal book, like having someone standing next to you."

On leaving school he decided to train as an architect and in his fourth year was given the opportunity to take a year out.

He seized the chance to come to Europe and sought out John Wright, then director of the Little Angel Puppet Theatre in Islington.

They ended up working together at the Little Angel Puppet Theatre, where John became deputy director.

London became his base for the next ten years as he toured shows across the globe from Norway to Greece, and from the USA to Japan, also spending six months in China to study the delicate art of Chinese puppetry.

Collaboration is at the heart of his work and he moved to Devon in 1990, drawn by the artistic community which surrounds Dartington, the village he has made his home.

John's puppet shows tour all over the UK.

From his workshop in his garden, which he jokingly refers to as Puppetcraft's, 'world HQ', he brings in freelance makers, performers, writers and musicians to create each new show.

Wherever possible, John works with local people and his troupe can number anything from two to 12 people, depending on the nature of the performance. Even his tools are made by a blacksmith from Devon.

While he concedes his natural audience is youngsters he is keen to make the point that in other parts of the world puppetry is regarded as a more adult art form rather than the sole preserve of the young.

"It's quite a British thing that puppetry is for children," he said. "Although in Victorian times it was not just for children, then there were about 30 puppetry companies performing in London."

The journey from initial inspiration to final show can take anything up to nine months, designing and making the set and puppets, creating a new performance from scratch.

"What I really love about puppetry is that everything is possible, there are no human physical limitations," he says.

John has a particular bond with his puppet Tom the Fisherman.

He also passes on his love of the craft to others through the professional puppet carving courses which he has been runnning for 25 years.

Those keen to learn from him come from across the globe to take advantage of his expertise.

Of the thousands of puppets he has created and operated he says his favourite tends to be the one he is working with at the time.

But he says he does have a soft spot for Tom the fisherman in the Mousehole Cat.

"I think that is because I am in full view when I am operating him, not hiding, and he has got a beard like me.

"I have a strong bond with him, it's quite a relationship."

All photos courtesy: Puppetcraft