Thousands of bricks donated to Leicester College by Forterra

Building products firm Forterra has donated 10,000 bricks to Leicester College for budding student bricklayers to use on construction courses.

The bricks and blocks donated by Forterra, formerly known as Hanson Building Products, one of the largest providers of building products in the country, will be used by the students to build practice walls, foundations and other features as part of their NVQ courses.

The recent rise in homebuilding around the country has led to an increase in demand for trained bricklayers and Leicester College currently has 90 student bricklayers on its courses, many of whom are apprentice bricklayers with local homebuilders.

Keith Binns, Brickwork Programme Lead at Leicester College, said: “I am absolutely delighted at the donation of 10,000 bricks from Forterra.”

“With an increase in the amount of learners, being in a position to provide good quality materials for their lessons on a regular basis can be a major challenge – having a company like Forterra work with us will make such a difference.“

“I cannot thank Forterra enough for their generosity and for showing such a commitment to the development of the next generation of bricklayers which are so desperately needed by industry.”

Stephen Harrison, UK Managing Director of Forterra, said; “When we heard about Leicester College’s need for bricks we thought it was a worthwhile cause that we could contribute to. We hope our quality products help their students learn the skills needed to become the next generation of homebuilders.”

Fortera is a leading multinational manufacturer of a diverse range of concrete and clay building products. The company employs approximately 1,600 people in the UK across 18 manufacturing facilities, including brickworks in Desford and Measham in Leicestershire.