Securistyle Sponsors Fire Safety lnitiative

Securistyle, the UK window hardware manufacturer, sponsored the launch of a community fire safety initiative in Wales. Firebrake Wales is a charitable organisation working in partnership with the Welsh Assembly and the three Welsh Fire Services. Its main aim is to reduce the number of deaths and injuries through fire-related incidents in Wales by public education, promotional activity and research.

Mrs Edwina Hart MBE, Minister for Social Justice performed the official launch at the Royal Welsh Show in the presence of local MPs and other representatives interested in the reduction of fire related injuries and deaths in the home.

Antony Feasey, chief executive of Firebrake Wales says: 'The official launch represents a significant and exciting opportunity to develop the community fire safety message across Wales. We will work with our founding partners to achieve a tangible difference in the way in which fire risk is perceived and acted upon by the general public within Wales. Our overall aim is to stop fire before it starts and to make the public aware of their own personal risk of fire.'

Securistyle's window hardware comprising hinges, locks and handles are widely specified by public and private sector companies such as builders, architects, local authorities and housing associations.

Mike Witherspoon of Securistyle says: 'Escape windows should be fitted to all windows above ground floor level. For example, our egress hinge allows casement windows to open to a full 90DEG for an emergency exit in the event of fire, while our egress handle features a green button for easy recognition. We are pleased to support Firebrake Wales and encourage increased awareness of fire safety in the home.'

Tel: 01242 221200
Email: mailto:info@securistyle.co.uk
Web: http://www.securistyle.co.uk

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K2 Glass Ltd get Wet and Wild

Fun and frolics amidst the soaring summer temperatures were enjoyed by staff at K2 Glass Ltd, when they took part in a charity ‘It’s a Knock Out’ tournament.

The event, which took part at Preston’s Grasshoppers Rugby Club on 13th July, was staged to raise money for the charity, Children Today.

Two teams of 10 from K2 Glass Ltd took part in the event and showed that team spirit is the only way to cross the finishing line, as they contended with buckets of water and foam and grappled their way up the slippery inflatable slopes.

'The event proved to be a huge success, with many colleagues, friends and family turning out to support the teams and enjoy the sunny weather.

'From an employers point of view, such an event provided the ideal platform from which to encourage motivational levels and develop intra-team co-operation, in a fun and enjoyable way.' Explained Dave Bradshaw, K2 Glass Ltd’s managing director.

A total of £1200 was raised from K2’s employees, which will go towards the purchase of specialist equipment designed to improve and enhance the lives of children and young people with disabilities.

Tel: 01254 693111

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Synseal Customer Hits Hole-in-One for Charity

Steve Judge, partner of Synseal fabricator Shield Conservatories Ltd, won a car with three friends after taking part in Oldham Athletic Golf Classic tournament. The golfers meet once a week for a round together so in true team spirit, on hitting a hole in one, Joe Shammah, a solicitor, insisted it was a team effort.

It was as a team they decided to give the prize away to the St Francis Hospice in Manchester, which cares for terminally ill children.

When the sponsors of the ‘Hole in One’, Lookers of Oldham, heard about the plans for donating the prize they upgraded the car to a five-door saloon to make it easier to transport the children.

Tel: 01623 443 200
Web: http://www.synseal.com

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WHS Halo Helps David See the Light

A three-year-old boy with a rare genetic condition that means just minutes in the sunshine could leave him with skin cancer, is enjoying a new lease of life thanks to WHS Halo.

The window and door supplier has helped build a special protective conservatory for David Jones of Bromsgrove who suffers from the skin disorder, Xeroderma Tigmentosa.

WHS Halo provided the PVCu profile for the special £20,000 conservatory installed at the Jones‚ family home near Birmingham, which incorporates special Pilkington UV Zero‚ glass to filter out potentially harmful UV rays from the sun.

The new conservatory means David can now play in sunlight for the first time, without the need for a cumbersome special suit to protect his skin.

Commenting on the new conservatory, David's mother Kathleen said; 'It has made an incredible difference to his life. He has his own little room in the sun where he can invite his friends round to play. I never thought I would be able to see him enjoying the sun in shorts and a T-shirt.'

Winston Duguid, managing director of WHS Halo added; 'When we heard about this little boy's story we were determined to try and help make a difference to his life.

'By working closely with Pilkington glass and local installation company Amber Windows we have been able to create a safe play environment that David will be able to enjoy for many years to come.'

Tel: 0121 749 3000
Web: http://www.whs-halo.co.uk

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'It's All For Charidee Mate' as Window Boss Bids for Glassex Stand

When one of the lots for auction at a recent charity event turned out to be a 32m2 stand at industry exhibition Glassex, it was too good an opportunity to miss for industry veteran and window company boss Mike Crewdson. For in addition to booking the stand that he was going to take at the 2004 event anyway, it also offered him the opportunity and satisfaction of raising a huge sum for children’s charity Hope House.

Mike, who heads up specialist fabricator and profile bender Radius Plastics based near St Helens, Lancashire, went to the charity dinner organised by old rival and friend Gary Morton intending to have a bit of fun and relaxation whilst renewing a few acquaintances. 'The last thing I had in mind was booking an exhibition stand' said Mike afterwards, 'Gary’s charity dinner is now the industry social event after the old Awards dinner finished at the Grosvenor House, so it was strictly going to be fun after a hectic few months of working long hours. But when I heard that one of the lots donated to raise money for charity was the Glassex exhibition stand donated by the organisers, I thought ‘I am going to have that!’'

Mike had always intended to exhibit Radius Plastics - which supplies fabricators with curved and other complex shaped window, door and conservatory frames - at Glassex 2004, and when he visited Glassex in March the intention was to book a stand there and then. But Mike ran out of time, intending to contact the organisers later. 'It was just as well' chirped Mike, 'As now I have exactly the stand that we need for Radius, and a large sum of money goes to a superb cause. Next year’s Glassex has already been a success for us!'

Web: http://www.radiusplastics.co.uk

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Interbuild Adopts CRASH as Official Charity

CRASH, the construction and property industry charity for the homeless, has been adopted as the official charity of Interbuild 2004.

The UK exhibition for the building and construction industry takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from April 25-29 and will attract many thousands of visitors.

Said Interbuild Event Director Steve Webb: 'CRASH is a very worthwhile charity and we are hoping that visitors to the show will feel they want to support it.

'Interbuild and CRASH have long-standing links and apart from giving organisers an opportunity to raise funds at our New Product Awards Dinner, they will also be able to raise awareness of the charity and its objectives while the show is in progress.'

CRASH aims to help homelessness charities to improve their premises and facilities - and the accommodation provided for homeless people.

It brings together the expertise and help of professionals and companies from the UK construction and property industry to assist homelessness projects by reducing construction costs and delivers quality that could not be achieved without CRASH's help.

Said CRASH Director Tom Biddlecombe: 'We are funded entirely by our patrons from the construction and property sectors. We receive no funding from the public sector and all monies raised goes directly towards the projects we help, none is spent on administration.

'We are delighted that Interbuild has chosen to adopt us as its official charity and look forward to a successful relationship.'

Web: http://www.interbuild.com
Web: http://www.crash.org.uk

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3rd Glazing Industry Fun Charity Golf Day

The third annual Glazing Industry Fun Charity Golf Day was held at Shirley Golf Club in the West Midlands on July 29th. Twenty-five teams entered the competition, the largest ever entry for this event.

The winning team was Glass and Glazing Products magazine with a total of 85 points, second was Promac and third was Deceuninck.

The winners trophy was made by Rankins Glass and presented by 'Mr Glass' Cliff Rankin himself.

Longest drive was made by Pam Etchingham from Metsec; Nearest the pin was won by Atul Patel playing in the Promac team.

The event committee, consisting of Mike Gray, the Gl@zine's Norman Setra, Andy Dunn of G&GP, and Dave Broxton of Glass Age, expect to raise in excess of £7,000, an increase of some £2,000 over last year's event. Most of the funds raised will be donated to the Parkinsons Disease Society, with a smaller amount going to McMillan Nurses.

Our thanks to all of our sponsors: Rankins Glass, Status Systems, Promac, Regent Windows, Glassex, Glass Processing and Technology Show, Plastmo, Proact Solutions, Indigo Products, and Austen Harlow Flitter PR.

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Tandem Skydive by Optima Employees Raises £1,000 for National Asthma Campaign

Two employees from High Wycombe-based Optima Architectural Glass have raised £1,000 for the National Asthma Campaign following a 12,000 ft free-fall tandem skydive at RAF Weston-on-the-Green Parachute Descent Training Centre, Bicester in Oxfordshire.

Receptionist Donna Colville and Assistant Accountant Sonia Goldie-Jones were given a short 20 minute safety briefing before boarding their Islander aircraft. Harnessed to experienced instructors, the dynamic daredevils descended 7,000 ft at over 125mph for more than 30 seconds before deploying their chutes and steering to the drop zone for a carefully controlled landing.

Sonia Goldie-Jones harnessed to her parachute jump instructor,
Peter Candy

With feet firmly back on the ground Donna Colville commented: 'At first I was terrified but once I'd left the plane the experience of free falling was amazing! You just can't imagine what it's like until you've tried it. It was a great opportunity for us to raise money for this important cause.'

'What an amazing experience, everybody should do it at least once!' said Sonia Goldie-Jones. 'I'm no longer afraid of heights and I'm looking forward to a free-falling holiday in Florida,' she continued.

About the National Asthma Campaign
The National Asthma Campaign is the leading independent UK charity dedicated to conquering asthma. It funds research to improve treatments and find a cure for the future, offers independent help and advice to everyone affected by asthma and campaigns for a better deal for people with asthma

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Eurocell and Crystal Celebrate Romanian Success

When the opportunity arose recently for Crystal Windows of Romford Essex, a Eurocell Ultimate 70mm fabricator, to support the Convoy 2000 charity Tony Morris (Crystal operations manager) and Steve Cooper (Crystal Installations Manager) jumped at the chance.

Convoy 2000 is the brainchild of Sir John Stevens, current head of the Metropolitan Police, hatched around ten years ago whilst in Algeria working with the very poor on a charity project. He, and David Bright, former Chief Superintendent of the Essex Police, decided to set up their own charity, backed by business, which would be their personal way of celebrating the Millennium.

After searching for suitable countries, Romania was chosen because Sir John felt that it still had huge problems and was perhaps a little out of the limelight, after being very much the centre of the worlds media attention during and after the fall of Ceaucescu, and therefore not receiving the essential funding it required. After numerous visits to the country Sir John felt that the best way forward was to send his own 'Convoy of aid' out to Romania thus ensuring that all funding, as well as physical goods collected, went direct to source eliminating 'monetary black holes' and 'administration costs' which are associated with charities in some cases discouraging people from donating to them.

The main objective of the charity, as it is today, was to identify those areas of most need within Romania - orphanages, children's homes, schools etc. and to go through them with a fine tooth comb with the aim of bringing them up to higher or 'Western European' standard of construction. Obviously this would be an enormous task to undertake through fundraising alone so Sir John and his 'team' set about using their considerable public image to bring on board a plethora of companies which not only allowed initial work to be carried out but have sufficiently large enough companies similar to, Crystal Windows, creating an enterprise which could operate year after year.

As the name suggests 'Convoy 2000' is the final result of the all the hard work of both Sir John Stevens and his team of organisers combined with goods, money, people and supplies donated by the businesses, which are all part of this effort. Fifteen articulated lorries will meet at an airfield in Essex, the lorries supplied by Renault, together with some volunteers who will then embark, in convoy, to their destinations in Romania - escorted to their final targets by the Romanian police.

The renovating work will then be carried out on the properties identified as soon as they arrive. Some of the teams of volunteers will start on the new projects whilst some will be 'finishing off' projects not completed in 2002. Indeed one of the main principles of 'Convoy 2000' is not to promise the Romanians that the work will be finished straight away but in the near future - therefore not making false promises to the recipients of the charity and to those working on it (in many cases in their own time), who the experience of being involved with has a profound effect.

The work completed over the three 'Convoys' so far has been a tremendous boost to the poor infrastructure in Romania. People are now living in better conditions and will continue to do so; trained volunteers are looking after the children properly. At a recent gathering of the charity at New Scotland Yard, the Romanian Ambassador to the UK was extremely grateful that the charity had helped to such an extent and would continue to do so especially that Romania was not at the centre of the world's attention.

Some of the volunteers working with Convoy 2000 have left ALL of their belongings behind on previous trips, as they felt so overwhelmed by working with Romania's poor and needy. The window fitters, who were extremely moved, when they talked about the smiles on the orphan's faces when the metal bars were removed from the windows, recounted one particular tale. Volunteers who went felt differently about 'life' when they returned indeed Steve Cooper, from Crystal Windows, on recounting his own personal tale felt so moved that he has sent his 16-year-old son on this year's Convoy to experience the project first hand.

This year Eurocell, Crystal and AG Glass have provided the windows for one of the orphanages outlined by Convoy 2000, which will undoubtedly run into well over £10,000. Further to this Crystal Windows are sending a team of five of their best window installers to fit and finish all of the windows as well as preparing for the project in 2004. As well as the Windows, Crystal had a charity fund raising evening - Tony Morris dusted off his guitar to play with his band We.B.40. The evening raised a further £5600 which was presented to the Romanian Ambassador and lady Cynthia Stevens.

Eurocell
Tel: 01773 842 100
Email: mailto:marketing@eurocell.co.uk

Crystal Windows
Tel: O1708 772 500
Web: http://www.crystalwindows.web.com