Chris Berridge, the young stonemason flying the flag for the UK in the WorldSkills contest now taking place (5-9 October) at ExCeL London, is hard at work completing his project for the contest in the 20 hours allocated.

The work is judged on millimetre accurate masonry and was produced behind perspex to protect visitors from flying chips of stone and dust from the Portland stone being worked.

This year's WorldSkills is the largest ever with 1,000 competitors from 50 countries competing in 46 disciplines in front of what is expected to turn out to be something like 200,000 visitors, many of them teenagers who will have been inspired to think about their future careers.

The contest shows that vocational occupations can be every bit as fulfilling as academic careers.

As well as the competition, the Building Crafts College gave visitors a chance to 'have a have a go' at masonry. There was also a dry stone wall element to the landscaping competition.

The contest finishes on Sunday with a spectacular closing ceremony.