The Big LEGO Brick Hospital build gets under way at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
Posted 19th July 2018
The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity today took delivery of the first section of a LEGO® brick replica of Liverpool’s first specialist cancer hospital.
Thousands of bricks have already been bought by generous members of the public in a fundraising campaign that aims to raise more than £500,000.
The ambitious project will eventually see half a million LEGO bricks used to construct a scale model of the new Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, currently under construction in Liverpool city centre.
Experts from Bright Bricks, home to Duncan Titmarsh, the UK’s only LEGO Certified Professional, will oversee the project and are training an army of local enthusiasts to work on the build.
Members of the public are being asked to buy a brick for a £1 donation, culminating in a 1.6m x 2.8m x 1.6m high structure that will be one of the biggest LEGO brick models in the UK.
Today, Dave Fautley, Master Builder for Bright Bricks, pictured above, delivered the first section of the model that will go on display outside The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Wirral, before moving around the region in a huge glass display case allowing as many people as possible to see it.
Katrina Bury, Head of The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, said: “It is so exciting to see the idea start to take shape and we would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has bought a brick so far.
“We are delighted to be working with Bright Bricks on this exciting project and we are thrilled with what they have done so far. Now the work really begins.
“We are starting to train a group of local people who will work closely Dave and the team to bring the idea to life.
“Building a LEGO brick replica of our new cancer hospital in Liverpool is an ambitious project but we are sure our dedicated supporters and the people of the region will support us with enthusiasm and generosity.”
BBC Radio Merseyside were at the centre to see the base of the structure arrive and interviewed both Dave and Ian Ogilvie, pictured below, who is masterminding the project for The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.
More than 45 different unique LEGO colours will be used to construct the model and it will have more than 100 rooms depicting life in the hospital. It will include toilet blocks, kitchens, lift shafts, MRI scanners and more.
There will be 150 hospital beds within the model. Each bed is made up of 49 bricks each making a total of 7350 bricks just for the beds alone. There will also be 200 mini figures in the completed model – nurses, doctors, construction workers and more.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity is working to raise £15 million towards the construction of the new specialist cancer hospital in Liverpool city centre and improvements to the Wirral site. The new hospital is due to open in 2020.
If you would like to buy a LEGO Brick for £1 and help transform cancer care please go to www.biglegobrickhospital.org.uk or call 0151 556 5566.
