Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb has met up with a 17-year-old local bricklayer in Parliament after she was commended in a national construction award.

Kim Cullen was nominated in the Youth Build UK's Young Builder of the Year award, in the 14–18-year-old category.

She received a commendation and a trip to parliament with her parents to receive a certificate and a £300 voucher for Toolstation. Suzanne said:

“It was a great pleasure to meet up with Kim and her parents to congratulate on her commendation and to talk about her journey into the construction industry.

“Kim has fought against illness and not doing so well at school to come to this point of real achievement. It was an inspiring story and it just goes to show that anyone can work their way to success.

“I wish Kim all the very best in her apprenticeship at Sandwell Council. She is a credit to her family, friends, Dudley College of Technology where she studied bricklaying and to Stourbridge too.”

Kim found a passion for bricklaying when she was enrolled on a construction pathways course at Dudley College. Since starting at the college Kim has attained her L1 in Bricklaying and is progressing onto a L2 Bricklaying course as an apprentice with Sandwell Council.

Simon Smith of Dudley College who nominated Kim, said her transformation into a model student was nothing short of fantastic.