Culture secretary Jeremy Wright reveals his love of Lego

The culture secretary, Jeremy Wright, has said he has a large Lego collection, which he uses to relax when in need of a break from the rigours of government.

"In my view, it’s a great way of putting your brain into neutral, which sometimes we all need to do," he said, describing his Lego collection. "It’s very large indeed. My wife would say far too large but I find Lego therapeutic," the Conservative MP told talkRADIO.

"I think everybody who does any difficult or stressful job needs a way to switch off. We all have different ways. Mine is Lego."

Wright said he had built a recreation of the Death Star from Star Wars using 4,500 bricks. "Putting Lego together and pulling it apart again is a very therapeutic process. Some of the new stuff is very good and the engineering capabilities of those who build and design Lego sets is quite amazing."

Earlier this week, Wright, who is responsible for overseeing the media industry, told a meeting of newspaper editors that he did not subscribe to any British newspapers or magazines. Instead, he relied on a summary of the news from his aides.

The digital, culture, media and sport secretary, who did not have an active Twitter account when he took the job, insisted his comments had been misinterpreted to suggest he didn’t consume any news: "To suggest that I don’t read newspapers is complete nonsense. Of course I do."

Michael LeCount, the owner of the Lego shop Bricks and Bits in Sheffield, told the Guardian that Wright’s hobby was not unusual: "There is quite a big community of adult fans who are into Lego or have come back to it."

Their extra spending power enabled them to build larger collections and buy themed Lego sets based around films or comic book series.

In recent years, Lego Serious Play workshops had become a regular feature at corporate and government team-building events, encouraging individuals to work together creatively.

LeCount said adults had always been drawn to making models and Lego meant "you can create what you want, you don’t have to be constrained".

"It’s partly a nostalgia thing – they remember having it as a child – and the sets they’re doing are more appealing to adults," added LeCount, who earlier this year bought a second home to house his Lego collection.