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Building the Concorde out of matchsticks? It can be done

The plane enthusiast, who used to work at Heathrow Airport, first pursued model making shortly after his retirement, having been inspired by a model of the Tower of London.

And although the work proved meticulous, Mr Dawson maintains that he enjoyed the challenge.

“I love everything about it,” he said.

“People think ‘don’t you get bored?’, but I don’t.

“I get so engrossed in it that the time flies.

“All together it has taken me nearly two and a half years to complete.”

The finished product shares pride of place in Mr Dawson’s home with a second matchstick plane – a Boeing 747.

Unfortunately, the two aircrafts take up too much room in his house in Reading, Berkshire, and he is now trying to find new homes for them.

He said: “I would like them to go on show somewhere if possible, as I am sure some people would appreciate them.”

He is now working on his next project – an Airbus A380.

Meanwhile, the last Concorde ever to fly will finally become a centrepiece after being left unloved at the side of an abandoned airfield.

Concorde 216 has languished at the side of the Filton Airfield in Bristol ever since its final flight in November 2003.

But now, thanks to a £4.7million Lottery grant, the passenger jet will be displayed at the new Bristol Aerospace Centre, which will celebrate the city’s history of aircraft building.

Organisers hope it will attract around 120,000 visitors a year when it opens in spring 2017.

Lloyd Burnell, project director of the trust, said: “We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded us this grant.

“The Bristol Aerospace Centre at Filton, which provides a permanent home for Concorde, will be a fantastic attraction for the region and provide enormous learning and volunteering opportunities for a wide range of people, from school pupils to local groups and retired workers.”