Training at the Lead Sheet Training Academy
The Lead Sheet Training Academy is at the forefront of training for those using lead or hard metals in the construction industry. To deliver this training the LSTA operates from a state of the art, purpose-built training facility in East Peckham, Kent which is open six-days a week for most of the year.
Rainclear adds a NEW white to its Galvanised Steel Rainwater Range
Rainclear Systems, the UK’s leading specialist metal rainwater system stockist and online retailer are adding a NEW colour to their durable, affordable and sustainable Infinity Galvanised Steel rainwater system.
Infinity is innovatively designed to be as easy to install as the usual materials used in the UK without the need to solder or rivet. Lengths are just as easy to handle and to cut to size without any specialist tools or equipment.
Read more: Rainclear adds a NEW white to its Galvanised Steel Rainwater Range
Lightning strike causes structural damage to lighthouse

Over one weekend in August last year it was reported that a staggering 90,000 lightning strikes hit the UK. The Old Hunstanton Lighthouse in Norfolk was a victim of one those strikes and the photograph shows the severity of structural damage that can occur as a result of direct lightning strike.
The structural damage caused to the lighthouse, and the subsequent risk the falling brickwork and masonry posed to the residents and members of the public, emphasises the importance of having an up to date and certified lightning protection system fitted to your building to prevent costly structural damage, or worse, loss of human life.
Read more: Lightning strike causes structural damage to lighthouse
Advanced launches brochure for fire protection in historic sites
Global fire systems leader, Advanced, has launched a new guide to fire protection for historic and heritage sites.
Historic and heritage sites present unique challenges to end users, specifiers and installers. The new brochure is designed to help key stakeholders understand some of the solutions available for the challenges they face. It addresses many common problems in ensuring adequate active fire protection, tackling the challenges of minimising aesthetic impact, quick, safe evacuation and eliminating unwanted alarms, among many more.
Read more: Advanced launches brochure for fire protection in historic sites
Historic restoration of 19th century organ
Recent work carried out by the Ipswich branch of Bishop & Son Organ Builders has included a historic restoration of the 1876 Bishop organ in the Church of the Holy Angels, Hoar Cross, Staffordshire.
The organ was returned to as near as possible the original specification dispensing with later additions and alterations by the firm of Conacher Sheffield in 1934. The organ contains pipes from the Samuel Green organ made for Bangor Cathedral in 1799.
Durham Cathedral now protected by market-leading intelligent fire panels from Advanced
Durham Cathedral, the 1,000-year-old World Heritage Site and one of Britain’s most visited buildings, is now protected by market-leading intelligent fire panels from Advanced.
Founded in 1093 and the final resting place of St Cuthbert, Durham Cathedral remains the seat of the Bishop of Durham, the fourth most senior cleric in the Church of England. As well as being the North-East home of the Magna Carta, which was taken to London during the Reformation and now makes occasional trip back to the north, the Cathedral and its environs have also featured in numerous Hollywood films including the Harry Potter franchise.
Read more: Durham Cathedral now protected by market-leading intelligent fire panels from Advanced
Tudor Roof Tiles scoops a win in the Pitched Roofing Awards
Tudor Roof Tiles Co Ltd, Britain's foremost independent handmade clay roof tile manufacturer, has scooped a win in the first ever national Pitched Roofing Awards.
King’s College Music School, Wimbledon, was proclaimed outright winner in the best ‘Commercial Property Application using Roof Tiles’ category using Tudor Roof Tiles working with Avonside Roofing Group.
Read more: Tudor Roof Tiles scoops a win in the Pitched Roofing Awards
Cobham Dairy's rescue begins
2018 ended with a flurry of activity behind the scenes on the project to save Cobham Dairy in Kent, and work began on site in mid-October. The Landmark Trust take up the story: "Although the building itself is very small, the journey has been a complicated one, so it is thrilling to be up and running with the physical repair and restoration of the Dairy.
"Built in around 1795 by James Wyatt, one of the leading architects of the day, the Dairy is a Gothic-revival eye-catcher in the grounds of Elizabethan Cobham Hall. It is listed Grade II* and on the Buildings at Risk register, having long lain empty and derelict.
SLPTG announces winners of Apprentice Awards 2019

The Steeplejack and Lightning Protection Training Group (SLPTG) recently celebrated National Apprenticeship Week (4 - 8 March 2019) by hosting its annual Apprentice Awards ceremony.
Members of SLPTG gathered on 7 March 2019 at the Park Plaza Nottingham to celebrate the success and outstanding achievements of apprentices within both the steeplejack and lightning protection industries. SLPTG are proud to announce the winners of the Apprentice Awards 2019.
Read more: SLPTG announces winners of Apprentice Awards 2019
Moss treatment can now be a gentle process
Moss on roofs is a common problem for older and cherished buildings. Such roofs are likely to be well into their predicted life span and aggressively cleaning ageing roof surfaces is not advisable. One treatment, developed and adapted to suit the weather conditions prevailing in the British Isles and Ireland, is AlgoClear Pro Softwash. Formerly known as MossGo, it is non-aggressive in nature.
According to suppliers Thames Valley Specialist Products Ltd, AlgoClear Pro Softwash gently cleans and restores old roofs to their former beauty without causing the physical damage that results from pressure washing. Its active ingredient is a quaternary ammonium, which has a rapid breakdown rate after use, leaving residues absorbed by bacteria.
In-spiring roofing for Sheffield church
What it lacks in height, the spire at St Augustine’s Church in the Endcliffe area of Sheffield certainly makes up for in distinction.
Clad in an unusual red tile, the octagonal 35 metre spire – or spirelette as it is officially called – makes a curious landmark on the city skyline, drawing the eye to what lies beneath and announcing its presence among the plethora of grey roofs and chimney pots nearby.
Dreadnought Tiles wins major roofing industry award
Dreadnought Roof Tiles, one of the UK’s oldest and well-established manufacturers of traditional clay roof tiles, has won the heritage category in the first ever ‘Pitched Roofing Awards’.
Organised by RCI magazine, these national awards showcase excellence in the roofing sector, highlighting successful partnerships between manufacturers and contractors and recognising commitment to quality.
Read more: Dreadnought Tiles wins major roofing industry award
Apprentices restore historic clock for the new Museum of Making
Apprentices at Smith of Derby have been busy restoring Derby’s historic Harrison clock for installation in the new Museum of Making when it re-opens to the public in 2020.
First installed at Derby Guildhall in 1842, the Harrison turret clock dates back to the same period. Its movement was designed by clockmaker, James Harrison of Hull (1792-1875), the great-grand nephew of John (Longitude) Harrison (1693-1776) who famously invented the marine chronometer to calculate longitude at sea.
Read more: Apprentices restore historic clock for the new Museum of Making



