BrickTokker says Lego passion helps her focus

A TikTok creator who estimates she has about £3,000 worth of Lego says it helps her focus.

Al Palmer, 23, who lives near Norwich, is part of the AFOL - adult fan of Lego - community, and documents her hobby on social media, calling herself a "BrickTokker".

Palmer has autism and ADHD and became interested in the brick-building phenomenon as an adult during university.

The primary school teacher said she found the building process "therapeutic" as it offered her a distraction from the everyday stresses of life.

She got up at 05:00 GMT on Thursday to be one of the first through the door of the new Norwich Lego store, and ended up as the third customer inside.

Palmer said her hobby helped her unwind between essays and lectures at university.

"I love collecting it, displaying it. I love finding out about it - going to Denmark, going to the museum they've got there, learning about how Lego has developed over time," she said.

"It's so therapeutic to do; it takes your mind off of things.

"It allows you to focus and also online I've made such an amazing community of other people that love Lego, and getting to talk about it with other people that love it just as much as I do."

Palmer saves a small amount of money each month to fund her passion.

"You do have to save up and it's a nice thing to save up for," she said.

"It's what I've achieved through working hard at [my job]... this is what I choose to spend my money on, in the same way that someone might want to go on lots of holidays or buy handbags.

"That's my thing that I want to collect and be proud of."

Palmer said she was "always trying to get it into my lessons", and she also shares her love for bricks with her 4,000 TikTok followers.

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