A Place in History

Ibstock Plc is giving the public the chance to have their name engraved in history – at the first world’s first ever ‘net zero’ brick factory – to raise vital funds for Shelter.

To mark the world’s first ever net zero brick factory at its Atlas site in the West Midlands, Ibstock launches ‘A Place in History’ project. The project gives the general public the opportunity to personalise an engraved brick that will build the new factory’s kiln. All profits from the sale will go to the charity Shelter that supports people facing homelessness and poor housing.

More than 17,000 people are homeless in the West Midlands, including more than 8,000 children. Shelter’s frontline services are working to help people find a safe and secure home. The charity also campaigns to tackle the root causes of the housing emergency, including calling on the government to build a new generation of green, affordable social homes.

Ibstock hopes that the engraved bricks will create a mural in its new factory kiln to act as an important reminder about the importance of everyone having a safe, secure and affordable place to call home.

Joe Hudson CEO of Ibstock said, “Our partnership with Shelter is really important to us across the Ibstock Group. I hope the project at Atlas serves to raise further awareness of homelessness and remind us all; why we are building and how we go about our activities to serve a more meaningful purpose at the heart of building. Let’s engrave a mark that we are proud to remember.”

Andy Harris, Director of Income Generation at Shelter, said: “Shockingly, the housing emergency means that thousands of people in the West Midlands don’t have a place to call home.

“Every day at Shelter we support people who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. We know all too well the stress and suffering that they face. The climate emergency is only making it worse – people who are rough sleeping are already feeling the awful effects of extreme weather like floods and heatwaves.

“That’s why we’re incredibly grateful for Ibstock’s ongoing support. By engraving your name on a brick, you can support Shelter’s work and be part of the building blocks towards a greener future where everyone has a safe and secure home.”

Ibstock has supported Shelter’s work to tackle the housing emergency since 2019. Ibstock colleagues have taken on a range of challenges. Most notably, colleagues raised £10,000 through a number of fundraising activities last Christmas, which was match-funded by Ibstock to bring the total raised to an incredible £20,000. Ibstock aims to further its support for the charity with its ‘A Place in History’ project.

How does the ‘A Place in History’ project work?

Whether you’re a business, customer, local community group or member of the general public, anyone can write their name into history by purchasing a limited-edition engraved brick that will then take pride of place in the kiln wall at the new net zero brick factory in West Midlands.

You can personalise your brick with your chosen text or company image, with two options available:

One personalised engraved brick with text and/or image for £40, of which £31.82 will go to ShelterA block of four bricks engraved with text and/or image for £205, of which £172.34 will go to Shelter
£7.50 per block will go to the local engraver, Ashley Richer at Etch-IT, who is kindly supporting this project by providing services at zero profit.

^*£0.68p is given to Stripe as a fee for facilitating the transaction.

The limited-edition engraved bricks are available for purchase until May 2022, with construction of the new kiln commencing in June 2022.

All profits from the sales will go to Shelter to help the charity’s important work. The bricks will be engraved by local engraver, Ashley Richer at Etch-IT, who is kindly supporting the project by providing his services at cost-only.