A LEGO enthusiast with a passion for helping others has set sail with his latest creation – donating a completed steamship model to raise funds for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
Paul Burrell spent around eight hours crafting his latest masterpiece, carefully piecing together 4,090 colourful bricks that came in 32 bags.
He has now handed it to EACH’s shop in Stowmarket, where customers can win it by buying raffle tickets for £1. The contest will run until 19th June, after which a draw will take place and the winner decided.
Paul, 57, has previously donated a range of completed LEGO models to charity shops in his hometown, including Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation, before deciding he wanted to support EACH.
“I read up about the charity online and thought it would be a great cause to support,” he said.
“It makes me happy to think about the vital funds that will be raised.
“I’ve always had an interest in LEGO but really stepped things up about seven years ago, following semi-retirement and when I started working part-time at the Wickes DIY store in Ipswich.
“It gave me an opportunity to do more, but some of the sets are quite big and take up a lot of space. I’d rather they went to a good home and made money for a worthy cause.”
Costing £290, Paul – inspired by a steamboat trip in Wroxham last year – has now donated the model to EACH, and it measures approximately 40cm (16 inches) high, 15cm (six inches) wide, and 69cm (28 inches) long.
“I like seeing things develop and come to life in front of me,” he said.
“You start by clipping together those first couple of bricks and then, before you know it, you’re staring at something magical. This is one of the best I’ve done.”
The steamship is the latest in a long line of impressive builds, including the Star Wars Millennium Falcon, Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, the Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle, the Titanic and two Disney castles.
Future projects already in the pipeline include a tropical aquarium consisting of more than 4,000 pieces, as well as a Land Rover and Boeing 747.
