Manchester\'s Pugin masterpiece of Gorton Monastery, sitting incongruously among the city\'s terraced housing, will be the centre of the stone industry\'s contribution to Construction Week next month (5-12 October).

The mid-19th century Franci-scan monastery had stood empty and derelict for a decade until a trust, supported by English Heritage, took on the job of restoring it in 1996 - a job that continues today. The stone industry\'s working presentation at the Monastery, supported by Stone Federation Great Britain and one of stonemasonry\'s most famous colleges, York, will involve demonstrations to visitors, including groups of schoolchildren who will visit the site and be able to take up a mallet and chisel to carve a piece of stone themselves.

The idea is to fire the spark of imagination in youngsters in the hope of encouraging some of them to make a career for themselves in stone and conservation when they leave school.