INDUSTRYNEWS
Royal Seal of Approval
A new specialist outreach centre for disabled
children in Wokingham was officially
opened by Their Royal Highnesses the Earl
and Countess of Wessex on 6 May - a cause
supported in more ways than one by local
company and Conservatory Outlet Dealer,
TradeMark Windows.
‘Our House’, a project of registered charity
Building For The Future (BFTF), offers
facilities and community support to disabled
children and their families.
As BFTF Chairman Mark Ashwell has been
involved with the project for five years, but as
MD of TradeMark Windows he was able to
extend his support: ‘A lot of companies have
clubbed together to offer the resources and
materials needed to make this possible, and
I obviously wanted TradeMark to be one of
those companies so we gladly agreed to install
new windows,’ said Mark.
TradeMark’s main supplier, Conservatory
Outlet, supplied the frames free of charge
and has since supported TradeMark on a
second charitable project, again with a Royal
connection, at an equine assisted learning
centre opened on 14 May by Zara Tindall.
Conservatory Outlet Greg Kane commented:
‘TradeMark’s involvement with so many
community and charity projects is both cause
and effect of its success.’
www.bftf.org.uk
Gemini UPVC achieve SBD status…with a
little help from GT Window Products
Oldham-based Gemini UPVC
recently became the first
Network Veka fabricator to
achieve SBD accreditation on
the Veka French Door.
Gemini UPVC achieved this
industry first with assistance
from the Guardian Door Hinge
Protector - a newly launched
product from leading component
supplier GT Window Products.
The Guardian is a next
generation hinge protector that
moves away from the traditional
dog bolt solution. It offers the
same benefits as a dog bolt but
without the hassle of routing
the frame, saving significant
fabrication time. It also has
adjustment features for easy onsite
installation.
When Gemini UPVC learned
GT Window Products was
developing this solution, Gemini
MD Paul Griffiths approached
GT to see if this new innovation
could help him achieve the
coveted SBD accreditation.
As a result of the tests, the
Guardian Door Hinge Protector
will become a standard feature
on the Gemini range of doors.
Gemini’s desire to improve
is clearly working. Following
a surge in new business the
company recently expanded
into a neighbouring unit and is
continuing to grow at a rapid
rate.
www.gtwindowproducts.co.uk
BUILD SHOW RESPONDS TO PICKLES’
PRE-FABRICATED HOUSING PLANS
Plans unveiled by Communities
Secretary Eric Pickles to create
hundreds of thousands of new
homes in inner London have
been cautiously welcomed by
the Build Show – with the caveat
that the economic benefits
must be ploughed back into
the construction industry, to
continue driving the recovery
forwards.
But the announcement met
with a mixed response from the
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JUL 2014
industry, with some commentators
questioning the wisdom of using
pre-fabricated housing solutions, as
well as pointing to concerns about
creating a potential ‘bubble’ in the
property market.
Paul Godwin, Build Show MD
comments: “While we welcome any
initiative designed to get Britain
building. The announcement that
the government is planning to build
thousands of new homes in the
capital is certainly welcome news,
but more could be done to support
growth in the refurbishment market
too. Cutting VAT on residential
refurbishments, for example, could
boost the economy by a further £15
billion and provide job security for
tens of thousands of construction
industry workers.”
The Build Show will take place
at the Birmingham NEC from
Tuesday 28 to Thursday 30April
2015.
www.buildshow.co.uk
T o read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com