Our Story from ScaffChamp 2025: How We Represented the UK in Lithuania
We’ve just returned from Vilnius, Lithuania, and the energy of the 2025 Scaffchampionships (ScaffChamp) is still with us. As a team, we are incredibly proud to announce that we, AK Scaffolding, were the only team from the United Kingdom to compete on this global stage. It was an honour to fly the flag and test our skills against the very best in the world.
Our journey culminated in a hard-fought 12th place finish. In a competition where success is measured in seconds, we were just a heartbeat away from a top-ten spot, proving that British skill and determination stands tall among the world’s elite.
Here's a look at what the Scaffchamp 2025 challenge involved
The 24-Hour Scramble
The test began long before we picked up a single tool. We received the design for the complex competition structure less than 24 hours before our start time. This kicked off an intense period of planning for our team, which consisted of one captain Steven Findley and five of our expert installers Aaron King, Paul Ward, Ste Littlehales, Jimmy Carr and Aaron Maguire.
In that short window, we had to:
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- Analyse the highly complex scaffold design.
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- Identify every specialist component required.
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- Strategize the safest and most efficient build sequence.
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- Assign precise roles and responsibilities to each team member.
Complex Design
The design was completed and issued by the brilliant team at Scaffplan. Alongside the traditional paper drawings, they provided us with access to an interactive 3D model. This was a game-changer.
The ability to assess the design in a 360-degree digital space helped us immensely with component recognition and finalising our build sequence. They provided a vital tool in our preparation.
A Masterclass in Complexity: The Layher Structure
While not the largest job we’ve ever erected, the technical complexity was on another level. Layher designed a truly challenging structure that deliberately utilised components not often seen in everyday scaffolding.
The build required us to integrate several advanced systems, including:
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- The Layher FW System to install a two-bay bridge section.
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- The Layher Support Tower System integrated with the Layher TX Aluminium Beam System.
Combining these systems into a single structure made for an extremely challenging job, especially under the immense pressure of the competition and the fact that our team had never used this equipment prior to the event, a statement that completely stunned the judges upon completion.
Execution Under Pressure: Time, Safety, and the "Lava Zone"
On the competition floor, the pressure was immense. We had a maximum time of 1 hour and 40 minutes to erect the structure and just 40 minutes to dismantle it.
Every move was scrutinised, with strict time penalties given for any non-compliance with safety rules. A unique challenge this year was the introduction of a “Lava Zone” on the ground, which our installers were forbidden from entering to assist with the build. This rule placed an even greater emphasis on at-height coordination, clear communication, and flawless teamwork.
This resulted in us completing the task in a total time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 4 seconds, picking up just 1 penalty of 2 minutes.
The ultimate scaffolding experience
We are proud to say that our team rose to the occasion. We successfully erected and dismantled the scaffold well within the time constraints, all while maintaining the highest possible health and safety standards—a core value we uphold on every project, no matter the pressure.
This entire experience was an incredible test of our team’s skill, resilience, and professionalism. We want to extend a huge thank you to our phenomenal team members who represented AK Scaffolding and the UK with such dedication. We also want to thank Scaffplan for their intricate design and the ScaffChamp organisers for putting on a world-class event.
We would also like to thank Triston Cox our media man for making the trip over and capturing so many images and Videos.
We went to Lithuania to compete, and we left having proven our place among the world’s best. We would like to congratulate RNDV the host nation team on winning the title as well as all the other teams from around the world for entering that made the event so competitive.
We can’t wait to see what challenge comes next.