'I often come home driving and laughing': Lego fans to chug along for Ribble Steam Railway Museum exhibition
The Brick Show promises to bring dozens of builders from across the North West, many of whom already spend their days displaying their work at shows across the UK.
The volunteers of the Ribble Steam Railway Museum are chugging along with their newest exhibition - made entirely of Lego.
The Brick Show 2026 will be setting off on Saturday (October 23), and promises dozens of model displays made by so-called AFOLs, which stands for ‘Adult Fans of Lego’.
Alongside the displays, there will also be a regular steam vaulted train service to whisk passengers away along the historic Preston Dock Railway, as well as opportunities to buy Lego and refreshments from traders across the day.
It’s the first time such an event has ever taken place at the Ribble Steam Railway Museum.
According to organisers Jo and Rob Porter, it’s been a long time coming for Lancashire’s Lego community - and will be helping the museum’s charity as a bonus.
“A lot of the ‘Adult Fans of Lego’ are coming in their own time, staying over and paying for hotels themselves and things like that, just for the love of displaying and speaking to the public,” Rob told the Lancashire Post.
The husband and wife Lego sellers have been trading for over a decade.
For Rob, as with many fans, it all started when he was a young boy playing with bricks himself.
Previously working at Morrisons, he said he “just fell into” becoming a trader - and said he and his wife are now among the top minifigure traders in the UK.
“We know a couple of the trustees [at the museum], and I’ve been doing Lego shows for 12 years,” he said. “They approached us and said, ‘Would we be interested in trying to help organise a Lego show for them to help them raise some funds?’.
“Obviously it’s a charity, and [it’s to help] the day-to-day costs, and they want a new roof as well - anything that’s spare will go towards the funds for that.”
The Brick Show promises to bring dozens of builders from across the North West, many of whom already spend their days travelling from show to show across the UK.
Among them is 69-year-old Boltonian Robert Clarkson, who has been building since the 1960s.
“I remember having Lego in the ‘60s, and certainly when we moved house in the ‘70s, I remember playing with it in the front room,” Robert said. “But then we got into our dark ages - where you actually grow up, allegedly!
“I didn’t grow up, and I didn’t grow out of Lego,” he continued. “I always like the first time when I go to an event, and this is the first time this one has been running.
“We don’t just talk about Lego, we talk about life, and this, that, and the other. It’s great to meet people from all walks of life.”
Robert’s selection of pieces - including a Doctor Who and the Daleks model - will go up at the same time as 12-year-old Tom, who is displaying his models for the first time after years attending shows with his mother Vicky.
“We’ve been going since Covid,” Vicky said. “We got my old Lego out from the ‘80s, and we started playing with that. And as soon as places started opening up, we went to Legoland - and that was it, then!
“He’s got a few little bits that he’s going to display, but his main one is a huge Minecraft 3D cave with all different scenes and lots of minifigures, some of which we probably got from Jo and Rob.
“The first show we went to, we met Jo and Rob, because I like collecting minifigures. And it was like Christmas!
“Tom was only about seven when we first started, and we’d go every time and see all the same people, and they made us feel really welcome. It’s always really lovely, it’s like meeting up with old friends.”
Other modellers attending this weekend’s show are Charlii Langley, 34 from Derbyshire; Victoria Worsley, 48 from Stockport; and Elaine Grundy, 53 from Buxton.
All three of them said that the Lego community had always been ‘extremely welcoming’ - especially as Lego remains a heavily male-dominated hobby.
“One of the really cool things that’s going to be there is a display that’s done from a collaborative of women Lego builders,” said Victoria. “It’s lots of little builds, all based on women in STEAM: science; technology; engineering; art; and mathematics.
“It’s a way of encouraging girls into Lego, because although there’s a lot more women in Lego than there used to be, we’re still kind of underrepresented. It’s nice that the little girls who come can see that there are women builders out there as well.
“But I’ve found it really welcoming. I’ve never felt like I didn’t belong here. It’s a very relaxed space, and you can very much just be who you are, do what you want. You can’t take it too seriously, because at the end of the day, you’re playing with Lego!”
“The men are brilliant,” said Elaine. “Everybody gets on, and everybody helps each other out. If you say to someone, ‘You haven’t got such and such, have you?’, everybody jumps on.
“I’ve got a Lego room. When I come in, all my worries are left at the door because it’s like coming in to my own magic world. [Lego] has got me through quite a few tragic instances in my life, and personally for me, I find it very therapeutic.
“I often come home driving and laughing. We have such fun! There are some fantastic people doing Lego, and when you go around, you get to know people.”
“I’ve made Harry Potter displays, mostly,” said Charlii. “I’ve got some fantastical, magical creatures, and I’ve got some classrooms based on the books’ descriptions rather than the movies.
“I’ve always liked the look of Lego, but it can be very expensive. Back in 2020, when everyone else was stuck in their houses, I was a key worker, so I was doing a lot more work on the mental health wards as a mental health nurse. I had excess money, so I was like, ‘Oh, I can treat myself’.
“I’ve found the majority of the Lego community is really welcoming, and most people are really supportive of your builds and things like that. And because it’s such a small community, everyone knows each other as well.
“There’s no drama or politics or anything like that - you’re just there for Lego!”
The Brick Show will be taking place at the Ribble Steam Railway Museum on Saturday October 24 from 10:30am to 4:30pm.
Further information and tickets are available here.