A group of 15 students from Year 7 and 8 at Ormiston Forge Academy in Cradley Heath donned hi-vis jackets and gloves before being taken on a site and factory tour of their neighbouring brickworks, where they learned first-hand about the process from raw material to finished product.
Following the interactive tour, the students were each given an unfired brick and access to a selection of carving tools, letter templates and plastic moulds with which they set about creating their own personalised bricks, which will be fired and delivered to the students in due course.
The Academy was also presented with its own brick, created by the team at the Cradley factory.
Beverley Evans, Careers and IAG Adviser at Ormiston Forge Academy, said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to the staff at Forterra for all their hard work, which made our visit such a success. Our students had a fantastic time and loved making their own bricks – we’re sure this will be something they remember for a long time to come.”
John Richardson, General Manager at Cradley Special Brick, commented: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to invite members of our local community here in Cradley Heath to visit the brickworks, answer their questions and provide them with a glimpse into the mechanics and craftsmanship that our factory runs on.
“We hope their visit was fun and informative, and perhaps even inspired one or two Forterra workers of the future.”