Bricklaying students triumph on home ground as college hosts Guild of Bricklayers competition
Coleg Sir Gâr’s construction team hosted the Welsh heat of a bricklaying competition which was organised by the Guild of Bricklayers.
A junior and senior competition was held to include emerging and more experienced competitors who were given a technical drawing of a bricklaying design that they had to construct to professional standards within a given time.
Amongst the colleges taking part were Coleg Gwent, NPTC, Cardiff and Vale, Coleg Sir Gâr, Coleg Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Gower College Swansea.
Coleg Sir Gâr student Joshua Pritchard won first place in the Junior competition and Coleg Ceredigion student Tomos Edwards won first place in the Senior category.
The judges included several representatives from the Guild of Bricklayers, including Steve Barlow, lead judge and president Bill Bowman.
This event was also supported by the construction industry which provided materials and prizes for competitors with Wienerberger Ltd providing the bricks, Waters and Morris supplying the mortar, Cyfle and Towy Works supplying tools.
Craig Chesby, deputy head of construction at Coleg Sir Gâr said: “We were thrilled to be asked to host the Guild of Bricklayers competition at our construction centre.
“I’m thankful and appreciative for all the support from everyone involved with the event from the guild members, suppliers, tutors, employers, technicians, competitors and everyone else that makes these types of events possible for the future talent within our industry.
“It was great to see so many competitors taking part and so many emerging bricklayers coming into and working in the trade.
“Bricklaying is a highly skilled craft that requires precision, technical expertise and problem-solving abilities which this competition tested. Their work is not just physically demanding but also requires a deep level of craftsmanship, making them essential to the construction industry.”
The Guild of Bricklayers is an association formed in 1932 to promote and maintain the highest standards of craftsmanship in brickwork.
