Swindon: Bellway employee is semi-pro ice hockey player

Apprentice Ciaron Wilson <i>(Image: Bellway Homes)</i>
Apprentice Ciaron Wilson (Image: Bellway Homes)
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An apprentice quantity surveyor is balancing a budding construction career with a life on the ice.

Ciaran Wilson, 23, from Swindon, works full-time with Bellway South West while also playing as a semi-professional ice hockey player.

He currently plays for the Oxford Rising Stars and previously represented the Great Britain squad.

Mr Wilson said: "It’s one of those sports where you don’t have to know what’s going on to enjoy it, you can just enjoy the atmosphere.

"It’s so quick and exciting and I loved it from the start."

A £1,000 sponsorship from Bellway will help him purchase new skates and a helmet.

Mr Wilson first discovered ice hockey at the age of four when he attended a Swindon Wildcats game with his older brother.

He began playing at ‘stick and puck’ sessions before starting competitive games at age six.

He said: "I mainly liked being part of a team.

"At that age you are too young to be any good, but it’s about making new mates.

"As I got older, I enjoyed the competitiveness and travelling up and down the country to games."

In 2019, Mr Wilson was part of the Great Britain team that won bronze at the Under-19 European Championships in Krefeld, Germany.

Now in his fourth season with the Oxford Rising Stars, he serves as one of the club captains, supporting younger players and helping guide the club’s progress.

Mr Wilson is in the second year of a four-year apprenticeship based at Bellway South West’s divisional headquarters in Bristol.

He studies through online learning with Northumbria University one day a week and attends occasional in-person sessions with other Bellway apprentices.

Mr Wilson said: "I’d like to say a massive thank you to Bellway and I’m looking forward to representing my employer with the Bellway brand on my helmet.

"I haven’t had new skates in years as they are quite expensive.

"This is going to allow me to be more comfortable on the ice and with the new helmet it’s better protection.

"It will feel better on the ice to have new kit."

Carl Haley, managing director of Bellway South West, said: "Taking part in sport has so many benefits in the world of work – building strategies, being competitive, developing leadership skills and networking with a wide range of people.

"So, we are very pleased to sponsor Ciaran in his sporting endeavours."

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