Young roofing olympians seek gold at international competition

Four outstanding young roofers from around the United Kingdom will be heading to Poland this coming October to take part in the bi-annual World Championship for Young Roofers, organised by the International Federation of Roofing Contractors (IFD). This year the competition is being hosted by the Polish Roofing Trade Association, PolskieStowarzyszenieDekarzy (PSD).

Through this international competition, the IFD aims to harmonise professional roof training, raise the profile of training to the public and create a common international message to promote the standards of skilled young roofers. The competition itself covers the three major roofing disciplines; Flat, Pitched and Metal and Team GB will be aiming for gold in Flat and Pitched. 

Flying the flag for Team GB for Pitched Roofing; Connor Martin, Heritage Roofing in Devon and Donal Harkin, D Harkin & Co (Roofing) Limited in Northern Ireland. They are being mentored by Bob Coutts, a long-time mentor for the championship and Head Judge for the UK skills competition, SkillBuild.

Competing for the gold Flat Roofing medal is Jordan Lane, Lane Roofing Ltd in Birmingham and Ben Revitt, Briggs Amasco Ltd in Cradely Heath, Birmingham. The pair are guided by Gary Walpole, Head of Training for the Single Ply Roofing Association (SPRA) and also a Head Judge for SkillBuild. 

NFRC are overwhelmed with support for this year's competition and would like to say a big thank you to the sponsors; Wienerberger Ltd, Single Ply Roofing Association (SPRA), Liquid Roofing and Waterproofing Association (LRWA), the Institute of Roofing (IoR), Briggs Amasco Ltd, and Lane Roofing Ltd. If other roofing companies would also like to sponsor Team GB they should call NFRC on 0207 638 7663. 

Livia Williams, NFRC Head of Training, commented: “The upcoming World Championship for Young Roofers is a great opportunity for the UK to showcase excellence in craftsmanship skills in pitched and flat roofing on the international stage. We are extremely excited to see that these young roofers, who are previous winners of the Skillbuild competition, reaching one of their highest points of their careers and competing against the apprentices from the international roofing community.  The UK roofing industry must now come together and celebrate in true roofing Olympic style, the success of these young roofers, so please send your messages of support via social media and get behind #IFDTeamGB.”

For all the latest on Team GB head to www.facebook.com/TheNFRC or follow #IFDTeamGB.