Bellway gifts 5,500 bricks to West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds to help bricklaying students

A homes developer has donated 5,500 bricks worth £7,200 to West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds to help train students on its bricklaying course.

The bricks were delivered from Bellway’s the Vickers development in Ely and will enable students to start building half of a three-bedroom detached house as part of their course.

The college currently has 67 full-time students aged between 16 and 18 working towards their Level 1 and Level 2 brickwork diplomas, as well as supporting 60 students doing bricklaying apprenticeships.

Bellway is building new homes at Bronze Fields, off Marham Parkway in Bury St Edmunds, just over a mile from the college’s Built Environment campus off Anglian Lane.

Debbie Coomes, assistant principal of West Suffolk College, said: “West Suffolk College is very grateful for the donation of bricks from Bellway.

“Relationships and collaborations such as these, with materials donated from within the industry, enable students to be able to practise their bricklaying skills.

“We really appreciate this generous support from Bellway and look forward to working with them in the future.”

The bricks were delivered by Bellway Eastern Counties senior construction manager Darren Broughton.

Rhiannon Jones, sales director for Bellway Eastern Counties, said: “This donation will help the college in training the next generation of bricklayers, who are essential to the future of the housebuilding industry.

“We are pleased to be playing our part in ensuring that young people in Bury St Edmunds, who want to pursue a career in construction, have the resources necessary to learn and practise the skills they need.”