Roofing Work News Roundup – July, 2017

Here at D-marc we’re in the business of making work at height, namely roofing work, safer with our innovative rooftop barrier solutions.  As such, we keep a close eye on the news for stories about roof work and working at height in general so that we can provide our readers with useful and relevant information that will keep them up to date with what’s going on in our industry.  Once a month, we’ll publish a roundup of the news that affects our sector in one easy place so that readers can get a quick overview of the most important happenings over the past month.  If you have anything to add or know of any stories that you’d like us to cover, please don’t hesitate to let us know, either by email, on our Facebook Page or on our Twitter feed.

A college student in Newcastle has won the prize of a pitched roofing apprenticeship after being crowned “Construction Student of the Year having completed a bricklaying course at Newcastle College.  Ryan Baxter, who is 17 years old, revealed that he’s thrilled to win the prize, having started the bricklaying course without much clue as to what he could potentially achieve.  This is a fine example of education in action and the benefits to be gained by taking part in an apprenticeship course in the construction industry.  We at D-marc would like to see more of this in future as it will go a long way towards mitigating the serious challenges we’re likely to face in the future here in Britain as a result of the widening skills shortage.

Householders spending time enjoying their gardens over the summer (weather permitting, of course) are being urged to arm themselves with a pair of binoculars and check the rooflines of their homes to identify any loose tiles or slates.  People are being advised that if they do see any damage from last winter’s harsh weather, to call in the professionals to fix the damage and to ask them while they’re up there to check the flashing around chimney stacks, check any felt roofs for perishing, etc.  Building maintenance is essential in order to maintain the value of a property and time spent during the summer doing these armchair inspections could avoid more costly maintenance when problem become apparent during the winter months.

And last of all, a historic landmark in Hampshire is enjoying a multi-million pound renovation process with a new roof signed by members of the public.  Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley was once the site of the world’s largest military hospital but only the chapel remains at present.  The new chapel roof will be laid soon but in the two weekends leading up to the work, the public will get the opportunity to sponsor a slate for a small donation.  Sponsors will be able to write a message on their slate which will then form part of the new chapel roof.