To help encourage young people to explore the roofing industry as a career prospect, Sandtoft - the roofing brand of Wienerberger – attended a training day following an invite from the Lincoln Training Group.

The event, which featured stands covering a variety of professions, from the armed forces to banking, sought to encourage more than 1,000 young people from across the region to thoroughly investigate their career options. Presenting Wienerberger with a clay-first approach, Nigel Dyer, heritage service manager and Ian Martinson, production team leader at Wienerberger, invited the children to experience what can be done with the material.

While at the show two groups from St Francis’, a school that cares for children with a wide range of physical conditions, including those with associated sensory or cognitive difficulties, were invited to see Mr Dyer and Mr Martinson - and used the clay for creative and artistic purposes. For the children unable to attend, Wienerberger ensured that clay was delivered to the school to be enjoyed in the classroom.

Mr Dyer said: “Clay has a wide range of properties and we presented it to the children via the Lincoln Barons, which have been synonymous with the city since the signing of Magna Carta. Since the statues mark the route taken by King John and his baron's some 800 years ago, we thought it fitting to make some clay barons and invite the children to do likewise. By doing so we hope to have shown that there’s little that can’t be done with the material and highlighted how it’s used in modern construction.

“We were also delighted by the enthusiasm shown by the pupils from St Francis School. The children enjoyed playing with the clay and made some really interesting and artistic pieces.”