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Leading building products manufacturer Forterra has successfully launched its first professional bricklaying competition, Best in London Brick (BiLB), at Havering College in Essex.

The contest last month saw professional bricklayers from across the UK compete for six hours to build a set competition piece featuring an arc of bricks and two intersecting walls.

First place was taken by 33-year-old Reggie Staponkus of Lee Marley Brickwork, followed in second place by 25-year-old Alfred Thompson of Swift Brickwork Contractors. Finishing a close third was Connor Honeyman, 25, of Stak Construction in Romford.

Reggie, 33, is from Lithuania and worked in Cambridge before joining Lee Marley Brickwork as a bricklayer in 2011. He has since worked his way up to his current role as Site Supervisor in West Drayton. BiLB was Reggie’s first ever competition, which he was entered into by his manager.

Reggie said: “The competition was a great experience and I never expected to win! At first I was a little nervous, but the college staff and judges were so friendly that they put me at ease and it soon felt like normal brickwork. I would like to thank my manager, Craig Livingstone, and Lee Marley Brickwork for giving me this opportunity and putting me forward for the competition.”

Alfred, 28, grew up in Ghana and came to the UK aged 15. Having attended college in Hackney, he started as an apprentice with Swift Brickwork shortly afterwards and is now based in Redbridge as a bricklayer. Alfred is no stranger to competitions, having previously earned second place in the Guild of Bricklayers competition in Ramsgate and first place two years in a row at the Guild’s Barking & Dagenham competitions, all at senior level.

Alfred said: “Last month’s competition was really fun, though the timeframe made it all quite pressured and very different to working on site. It’s my goal to become the best at what I do, and eventually to rise to the role of manager. I’m really grateful to my Site Manager, Dean Degun, and to my manager Michael Walsh, for giving me the opportunity to train as an apprentice and for being the best trainers ever.”

Connor, 22, from Romford, has worked for Stak since 2017 and is now based in Rainham. He worked his way up within the company from bricklayer to charge hand and now holds the position of foreman. He is a previous winner of the Guild of Bricklayers Junior Competition 2015, an accolade he built on the following year by winning the Guild of Bricklayers Senior Competition in the London region. Later in 2016 he also won Barclays Group Apprentice of the Year.

Connor said: “I found the BiLB competition a bit challenging, but I’m used to competitions so it wasn’t too bad. My goal is to reach the next level in my career and hopefully become a Contracts Manager. My manager, Paul, has pushed me to do the best I can in my career since I was 16, so I’d like to thank him for always keeping me on track.”

Bob Noseda, Sector Skills Advisor at Havering College, said: “It was fantastic to be able to host Forterra’s first ever Best in London Brick competition just weeks after another of the company’s groundbreaking competitions, Bricklaying Forterra Females, was held at our college. Reggie, Alfred and Connor are all outstanding bricklayers who are a credit to the sector and always give 100%, and Dean as always did an outstanding job as designer, project manager and judge.

“I feel the construction industry needs more competitions of this kind to showcase the remarkable talent and dedication across the sector. I hope last month’s BFF competition and now the Best in London Brick competition will both serve as legacy events for years to come.”

Forterra is committed to building confidence and inspiring ambition amongst bricklayers and construction workers. This year Forterra is establishing London Brick Construction Hubs at six further education colleges across the country including Havering College, in preparation for which it has donated London Bricks to each of the colleges.

Stephen Harrison, Chief Executive of Forterra, said: “As a leading UK manufacturer of building products, we are keen to encourage our country’s bricklayers to challenge themselves creatively and hone their professional skills in the process. In donating our London Bricks for use during this competition, we hope to help raise the standard of bricklaying in Britain, with a view to filling technical skills gaps and bolstering UK productivity.”

London Brick, which has been in production for more than 140 years, has an iconic “frog” design which means it is easier to work with, making it an ideal product for professional bricklayers. The brand, whose heritage is closely linked to economic regeneration due to its role in post-war housebuilding, continues today to be used almost exclusively for residential renovation, maintenance and improvement.

For more information about Forterra, please visit https://www.forterra.co.uk/. You can also follow the company on LinkedIn and on Twitter via @ForterraUK.