A TALENTED builder from Appleton is busy mentoring the next generation of bricklayers after winning gold at an international event.

Ashley Terron, who works for Redrow Homes, took home the top prize at the global Worldskills competition in 2013, which raises the profile of a variety of practical skills.

The 27-year-old is now an assistant training manager for Worldskills UK and has spent the last 18 months passing on his wisdom to 21-year-old Lewis Greenwood, from York.

Both Ashley and Lewis are preparing to travel to Kazan, Russia, at the end of August, where Lewis will be representing the UK in the bricklaying category and Ashley will be part of the UK media team.

Ashley, now an area construction manager for Redrow Homes, first became involved in Worldskills when he was working a trainee bricklayer.

He said: "There is so much preparation that goes into the Worldskills competition - I was training for two years before the global competition in Germany.

"Myself and two other people who were entered into the bricklaying category trained together all over the UK in all different environments ranging from working in different colleges/institutions around the UK to taking part in international ‘pressure tests’, where I went to the Danish National Final to compete.

"I also took part in the ‘Global Skills Challenges’ in Perth, Australia, where I competed against six other nations prior to the main world final and managed to win that competition too, which stood me in good stead for the main event.

"When we got to Germany for the global competition, I was competing against 26 nations and after the four-day event, to find out I’d won gold was my biggest achievement.”

Ashley, who was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 2014 and awarded the British Empire Medal for 'services to skills’, hopes he can now pass his knowledge and skill on to the next generation.