Talented tradespeople
from across the country have competed in the annual national final of the Guild
of Bricklayers, hosted by the City of Liverpool College.

This year’s event was
attended by over 150 people who came to see 20 finalists from across the
country compete against each other at the City of Liverpool College’s Vaxhaull
Road campus, to be crowned the nation’s best bricklayer.

Founded in 1932, the
Guild of Bricklayers aims to promote and maintain the highest standards of
craftsmanship in brickwork.

Following 10 regional
heats, junior and senior finalists were challenged to compete in their
categories for the title. The overall winners were Adam Batty of Barnsley
College in the senior category and Tom Taylor of Wiltshire College in the
junior category.

Supporting competitors
were a number of industry organisations including Wienerberger, MPA, Ox tools,
Tilgear, Marshalltown, Stabila, Footprint and Costco.

Kevin Harold, president
of the National Guild of Bricklayers, said:

“This competition is a
fantastic opportunity for us to showcase and celebrate the incredible skill
that we have in the industry. I’m always incredibly impressed by the standard
that comes through the competition, in a trade which is particularly
challenging to master.

“I would like to
personally congratulate all of this year’s finalists and in particular the
deserving winners, who I’m sure will go on to do great things.�

Elaine Bowker, principal
of the City of Liverpool College, said:

“It’s an absolute
pleasure for us to have the opportunity to host this national final at The City
of Liverpool College. There is some fantastic talent coming out of our country
and in the North West in particular, in these trades which are facing
ever-growing skills gaps.

“These skills are
essential to our economy and it’s something that we’re incredibly passionate
about celebrating, as demonstrated by our partnership with £5 billion
regeneration scheme Liverpool Waters and the newly launched Construction Hub
which will help bridge the industry’s skills gap in our city region.

“The construction
industry plays a leading role in delivering economic growth and is essential in
meeting the economic and social challenges that Local Enterprise Partnerships
face, so it’s important that we celebrate the talent and passion that exists
across the country.â€�