Michael Anderson is now making a grandfather clock

Michael Anderson, 44, from Newtown, set up his company with support from Dyfed-Powys Probation Service.

He spent time while serving a sentence for attempted armed robbery in the 1980s by making tobacco boxes.

MP Lembit Opik has already bought one of the matchstick boxes for his Cheeky Girl girlfriend, Gabriela Irimia.

He was inspired to turn his hobby into a full-time occupation after attending a rehabilitation course in Gwynedd.

"It gives me immense pleasure, I lose myself from all the troubles," said father-of-six Mr Anderson.

The intricate items fashioned from matches include small tobacco boxes and Romany caravans, and he is currently working on a metre high grandfather clock.

It is extremely rewarding to see him come on like this and want to start his own business is amazing Probation service officer Tracy Sandford

Mr Anderson has been under the supervision of the probation service since March.

"I learnt how to match whilst I was incarcerated during a long prison term when I spent two and a half years inside at HMP Highpoint, in Suffolk," said Mr Anderson.

"I was taught by one of the oldest cons I have seen in prison, he was about 70. He was an old forger and he took me under his wing and I found I had a talent for it."

Mr Anderson explained what it took to make a matchstick model.

"You have to look at every single match and see which way it is going to be placed," he added.

Basic educational skills

"I have to discard one-third of a bag in the bin because they are just not suitable.

"To make a tobacco tin you need 240 matches, with a Romany caravan you're looking at around 6,000 matches."

He said he became so "engrossed" in his work that he forgot all his "hassles".

Probation service officer Tracy Sandford said Mr Anderson had made excellent progress.

"It is extremely rewarding to see him come on like this and want to start his own business is amazing," she said.

"Quite often the lack of basic educational skills is a major barrier for people and it can lead to them getting into a life of crime."