FC Halifax Town: Labour of love for Town fans Chris

Chris Smith was commissioned to make the model by the Halifax Town Supporters Club, who are offering it as a raffle prize.

It is one of dozens of miniature models Chris has made and took him around a fortnight to complete.

Chris supports Crystal Palace and Halifax, having been born in London but having lived in Halifax in his early 20s.

He owns Brickstand, an online business which sells his creations.

“The idea is to build all the English and Scottish league grounds,” he said.

“I’ve done 36 English ones so far, and some Scottish ones.

“The Shay took a couple of weeks on and off, but I’ve been to hundreds of games there so I knew the layout.

“I’ve been taking the odd photo over the years knowing in the back of my mind that I wanted to build a model of it some day.

“People have been really pleased with it. For me it was a special one to do because I support Halifax, and it was important for me to get it right.

“One of the major issues with it was the roof on the Skircoat Stand because that colour doesn’t exist in Lego, but I found something that was close as you could get.

“It’s about trying to make them as accurate as possible but without getting too obsessed with tiny details.

“I’m pleased with how it turned out.”

The 33-year-old also produces mosaics and pen holders as well as football stadiums.

“I had to go to a loan office and give a Dragon’s Den style pitch to get the initial investment for it,” he added.

“But fortunately the bloke I saw was a massive Blackpool fan and he went for it.

“It’s usually supporters who commission me, looking for presents or to put them on display.

“The first one I made was of Selhurst Park, just for myself.

“After that it all happened quite quickly.

“I put them up on Twitter and don’t pay for any marketing. The publicity I get has moved things along.

“The lower league ones are generally better received because the fans of those clubs don’t expect models to be made of those grounds, so they get a better reaction.

“Wembley and St James’ Park took the longest - about a month on and off - but you have to work them out as you go along.

“You don’t follow a plan. It’s trial and error.”

Tickets for the supporters club raffle are £1 and can be bought at all home games.

The winner will be drawn on Sunday, January 1 2017 at half-time during the New Year’s Day match with Darlington.

Fans can also win two VIP tickets for a pre-match meal by guessing how many Lego bricks it has taken to make the Shay model.

This costs £1 a guess and the winner is also announced on 1 January 2017.