Join the Lord Mayor to create a Leeds crest made entirely out of Lego

The Lord Mayor Cllr Judith Chapman is calling on the people of Leeds for their support in one of the biggest charity fundraising challenges ever to be undertaken by someone to hold the historic civic role - to create a gigantic copy of the city crest made entirely out of Lego bricks!

Set to be hosted at the White Rose Shopping Centre from today until Friday October 9, shoppers will have the chance to purchase a variety of small Lego bricks for a nominal fee and then watch as the pieces are inserted onto a huge specially designed 3.5m x 3.5m board as work begins to bring this unique version of the famous Leeds crest to life. As part of the project, which was conceived by the Lord Mayor’s daughter Harriet and developed in conjunction with Bright Bricks, when completed, the crest will be made up of a mammoth 200704 bricks including 26 different colours of which only one is violet, and special plans are in place to see how people might be able to compete to purchase this very special piece of the crest.

A selected number of bricks can be purchased for just £1 (four bricks) or £4 (16 bricks with option to place pieces on 4x4 plate), and there will even be the chance for businesses, groups, organisations or well-wishers to make sure their name and logo is stamped on the crest by buying a section of bricks at a cost of either £256 (one Lego Baseplate compromising of 1024 bricks) or £512 (two Lego Baseplates of 2048 bricks). For those who wish to donate online and purchase a brick on their phone, this can be done by texting LEGO42 to 70070 and putting the amount they wish to give after the pound sign from the four options available, i.e. LEGO42 then £1,4,256 or 512.

All donations from the project will be given to the Lord Mayor’s chosen charity this year, Specialist Autism Services.

If your business, organisation or establishment in Leeds is also interested in helping to sell bricks for the project by potentially displaying all or a part of the crest which can be divided into four pieces for a certain period, please contact: Lord Mayor’s Office.

A home for the Lego mosaic once completed has not yet being found, and anyone interested in hosting the Lego crest in a place which is or will be accessible to the public is also asked to contact the Lord Mayor’s Office by telephone: 0113 2474194 or email at: lordmayorsoffice@leeds.gov.uk

Please keep an eye on the Lord Mayor’s official Twitter feed at @LordMayorLeeds for more details. Members can also get involved in the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #leedslegocrest

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Judith Chapman said:

“While the challenge of creating a huge copy of the Leeds crest made entirely out of Lego bricks to raise money for my chosen charity this year Specialist Autism Services is certainly very daunting, I am confident that with the continued amazing support from the people of Leeds, we can make this ambition a reality.

“There are a number of ways to buy bricks, and even the chance to see in person your pieces being placed on the huge plate that will hold the mosaic, which with my daughter Harriet creating the crest, is very exciting. It is also great news that businesses, groups and organisations can ensure their contribution is marked and remembered by having their names and logo branded on a section of bricks.

“I would like to thank the White Rose Shopping Centre who will be hosting the mosaic this week for their extremely generous help and support.”

Portfolio manager at Land Securities, Mike Thomas said:

“We're very much looking forward to launching the mosaic at White Rose in order to raise vital funds for this fantastic charity initiative. We're confident that shoppers at the centre will get involved in building the iconic Leeds crest, and with bricks costing from just £1, it's a great way to support Specialist Autism Services, whilst also having fun with one of the most popular toys of all time. Shoppers can expect to see the mosaic in White Rose from Monday until Friday.”

Notes to editors:

For more information regarding Specialist Autism Services please see: http://www.specialistautismservices.org/

For media enquiries, please contact;

Colin Dickinson, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 39 51578

Email: colin.dickinson@leeds.gov.uk