A father of three and lifelong Lego fan exhibited his masterpieces which included the Taj Mahal and Star Wars Galaxy Explorer at a Harpenden school.

Russell Chapman, of Ox Lane, hosted his third Lego exhibition at the Lea Primary School and Nursery in Moorland Road.

The exhibition, which included hundreds of models on display such as a city scape, coincided with the school’s 40th anniversary.

Mr Chapman’s wife, Anna, came up with the idea to exhibit his models to give his Lego building a focus and to raise money for the school at the same time.

Mr Chapman, whose children attend Lea School, said: "Lego was something that was popular when I was growing up and I enjoyed playing with it.

"I think more recently it is just a really great creative outlet – especially in terms of spending time with my children and also a way to distress."

The 39-year-old added that he has built a huge variety of Lego sculptures over the years including a zoo and a MRI scanner, which he donated to a hospital.

He said he used more than a quarter of a million Lego bricks to build the various models on display.

Head teacher, Sharon Swinson, said: "It is hard to believe that Lego has been around twice as long as our school.

"What Russell can build out of Lego is incredible.

"We are so grateful to him and his wife Anna for volunteering to put the exhibitions on for our school and to the PTA for all the planning."

Visitors from as far away as Birmingham, as well as from schools across the district attended the event held on Saturday, September 26.

Those who attended also had the opportunity to build their own models and the winners in each age category received a Lego prize that had been donated by Harpenden businesses.

Chairman of the Lea PTA, Sue Stevens, said: "It has been great fun putting on these Lego exhibitions.

"A school photo of Russell has recently been discovered where he is cheekily holding a Lego mini figure – a sigh of things to come."

The exhibitions has raised £17,000 for the school altogether and has enabled them to refurbish the library, buy ipads and provide an all-weather path to the outdoor classroom.