AN outstanding young plumbing trainee will be competing to be named UK champion next month in the finals of a major national skills competition.

Talented Christopher Lindsay, from Littleport, proved himself among the top six trainee heating and ventilation engineers in the country after a series of tough tests to win a place in the final of SkillPIPE.

The 20-year-old apprentice, who works for James Brown Mechanical Services of Ely, spent two days installing and welding pipework, planning heating systems from scratch and sitting an exam – with extra marks awarded for health and safety aspects, organisation and planning.

The competition was organised by SummitSkills, the skills council for the building services engineering industry, to find the finest plumbers, electricians, pipe fitters and refrigeration and air conditioning engineers in the country and highlight their outstanding skills.

Christopher’s tutor at Cambridge Regional College, Martin Johnston, said he was a very talented craftsman who had worked hard to win his way to the final.

“In his time at CRC, Chris has shown very high levels of technical skill in pipe-fitting and welding. He is very thorough and consistently demonstrates excellent work. We’re delighted he has won his way through to the finals – it is an immense achievement.”

Christopher’s talents were also recognised at the college last month when he was named Heating and Ventilation Apprentice of the Year in the Construction Academy awards.

Christopher’s boss, James Brown, said: “He thoroughly enjoys what he does and is an excellent worker. He is very bright and very conscientious.”

The SkillPIPE final takes place in Leeds from September 14-16 alongside the UK finals of a number of other building services sectors, when around 150 trainees will compete in front of hundreds of visitors.