Shropshire Star

Lego everywhere at Shrewsbury awards - with pictures

In an era of computer games and ever-developing technology, people think the conventional, old school toy doesn’t really matter anymore.

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Acting museum and archives manager Mary McKenzie with one of the Lego models

But that is where most people are wrong, as the toy of the millennium is alive and kicking and producing more products than ever, and that was plain to see at the Lego Brick City awards night in Shrewsbury on Thursday.

Lego has been one of the most globally popular toys for generations, with children able to spend hours of fun showing their creative side.

The age of Lego is still going strong, as outlined on Thursday evening when a crowd of around 130 Lego enthusiasts and parents packed into The Music Hall, to see some of the amazing models created by Warren Elsmore’s Lego tours.

Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst chained to the fence

Staff for Mr Elsmore have created models that show history through the ages, from Charles Darwin, the birth of the industrial revolution, the first DNA, the first underground train, and the invention of the telephone.

All were created by lead creative Guy Bagley, who was on hand to give out awards to three winners and talk to Lego enthusiasts about the specific models.

Mr Bagley said: “For me I just get paid to play, it is a terrific job to take these exhibitions around the county, it is all about ‘edutainment’.

“We want to educate the children and we can do it through these events, exhibitions and explaining what we have here.

“For example we have the Boston tea party, which most will think is a normal tea party, but with a ship and other models we can educate children.

“It is fantastic, Lego is more prominent now than it has ever been, the production statistics are still huge, and people are still buying it.

“Most people think computer games take over children’s lives now, but it isn’t the case, Lego is more used than it ever has been.”

Mr Bagley previously worked for Lego, and helped to create Legoland in Windsor.

Now he goes around with the six exhibition’s that Warren Elsmore has, to educate children of all ages.

Planet Earth in Lego

The exhibitions have been all over the UK and across to Europe as the passion for Lego continues to be as popular as ever.

And some of the statistics Mr Bagley talked about were as impressive as the actual models.

The models in the room took months to build, with well over a million Lego bricks used.

Around 2.1 million pieces of Lego are still produced every day, and children spend around eight billion hours using and playing with Lego every single year.

Mr Bagley paid tribute to some of the winning models on show.

He added: “Tonight we have seen some fantastically creative work, and some great techniques.

“Hopefully events like this will help to inspire people to get into designing Lego.”

Cal Adlard with his model Mount Vesuvius eruption and the destruction of Pompeii. Cal was winner of the 12-16 Category in competition

Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for culture and leisure also praised the work of the creators of the winning designs.

In the five to 11 category, 10-year-old Alfie Hembrow-Forrester from Bayston Hill picked up winning prize for his model of the Flying Scotsman.

Cal Adlard, 12, from Shrewsbury, produced a winning Mount Vesuvius model and Roger Lewis’ design of Mario and Modern Gaming was the 17-plus winner.

Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for culture and leisure admitted the reaction the event received said everything that needed to be said about the popularity of Lego.

She said: “I put the event on social media, and it got shared hundreds of times which shows how popular Lego.

“Congratulations to all the winners this evening, the models are fantastic.”