Colchester youtuber with 1M subscribers wins new bricklaying contest

Colchester's Charlie Collison, who boasts one million followers on Youtube, laid 607 bricks in 60 minutes to come out on top. 

Bricklayer's Social Club gathered bricklayers from all over the country to the biggest masonry exhibition.

In the afternoon, event-goers gathered to watch the Super Trowels competition, which is the first of its kind in the UK.

The competition put seven of the country's best bricklayers head to head in a test of speed and neatness in their trade's skills.

Charlie took the first round which saw competitors racing to create six stacks of 24-brick-high piles, ready for them to use during the main event. 

During the main competition the seven bricklayers competed against eachother to place down as many bricks as possible in just one hour. 

On average it means Charlie placed down and secured 10 bricks a minute. 

He said: "It was a great day, with great people, I met some lovely people and I met a few fans so it's been a bit surreal if I'm honest.

"The whole day was brilliant and I felt it put the whole bricklaying community together."

Tiring - Competitors battle it out to see who the UK's fastest bricklayer really is (Image: Super Trowel 2023)

With a crowd of supporters, Charlie was rewarded for his achievement with £4,500 and Super Trowel's official UK title of the UK's fastest bricklayer. 

Charlie reports on the challenges he faced during the contest in a video posted on his Youtube channel: 

"I'm not ashamed to say it, I did struggle on the day and my back was in bits the next day as well,"

"My legs went to jelly, I'm only human, and I'm sure all the other contestants felt the exact same, and my stomach was turning."

"I picked up the first brick and honestly I'd forgotten how to lay a brick down, it was very stressful and very hard."

Star - Colchester's own Charlie Collison (Image: Super Trowel 2023)

Ashley Francis, the event creator, founder and owner of the Bricklayer's Social Club, said: "The bricklaying trade in the UK is huge not only on construction sites across the UK but also online across all social media platforms.

"This led me to create the Bricklayers Social Club which helps to encompass all adult bricklayers, in terms of their time served, and bring them together online and in reality.

Some of the best manufacturers and suppliers in the brick industry were present on the day, in the town of Broxbourne. 

A spokesperson from the iconic manufacturer Footprint Tools said:“This is probably the largest gathering of bricklayers and bricklaying tool manufacturers in the last 30-40 years, if not ever.”

Celebrate - Charlie celebrating with his £2000 cheque after being crowned the UK's fastest bricklayer (Image: Super Trowel 2023)

Ashley added: "For me as the creator organiser, I didn't get a chance to stop and really absorb all that was going on.

"To have 500+ fellow bricklayers descend on an event a show of craftsmanship and quality that I had created was unbelievable the atmosphere was electric.

"Without the support of my main sponsors, Brick Jackets Ltd and Hertford Regional College, this show would not have happened."

He added: "It was truly a milestone event in the industry and for me coming from Colchester and a bricklayer from Colchester winning it made it even better."

"My love and passion for brickwork along with my role in building a community through Bricklayers Social Club and within the brickwork industry is what helped bring this alive."