Tucked away in a quiet valley close to a lake lives a woman who can say, without vanity, she is the best in the whole world at what she does.

For 34 years, Elizabeth Prickett has taught a steady stream of student pilgrims the art of making Ruskin Lace, a traditional form of needlework.

Her home in Torver, near Coniston, is a far cry from the marble floors of the Victoria and Albert Museum, in Knightsbridge, London, where a piece of her work is guarded.

That work, made with the help of 62 students, is kept by the museum because she is, as she puts it, "the world authority and that's how it is".

Jude Godden, of Cartmel Community Education Centre, put it another way: "She is the Stephen Hawking of Ruskin Lace."

The intense work that goes into transforming a piece of linen into a piece of art is something that has benefits far beyond the satisfaction of producing something beautiful.

She said a large proportion of her students were recently widowed and it could help them deal with their loss: "It provides a great comfort and a need. They need an anchor."

She said the discipline the work required channelled the students' energies - yet still gave each one the chance to put their own stamp on their own piece of work.

The class, that runs in Grange-over-Sands, Skelwith Bridge and Ulverston, is possibly unique because it has been running continuously for 56 years.

She took up the baton of maintaining the tradition of Ruskin Lace, so named after the eminent Victorian thinker John Ruskin reinvigorated the craft form, from her mentor Mrs Raby in 1970.

Now, as she approaches 70, she is unaware how she will react when someone eventually takes that baton from her.