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The UK’s best trainee tradesmen and women will converge on Preston this week to take part in the finals of the annual SkillBuild competition. Thousands of trainee construction industry professionals across a range of ten disciplines will compete at the Fulwood campus of Preston College to be named the best young practitioner of their trade. […]
Following recent news regarding the easing of planning regulations for residential extensions, carpenters could be more in demand than ever. David Cameron and Nick Clegg have announced that property owners will now be able to construct extensions of up to six or eight metres from the rear wall of a home, depending on whether it […]
Thanks to a new national scheme, tracking down a tradesman you can trust is easier than ever. The government’s ‘Buy With Confidence’ scheme allows those hunting for a tradesman to pick from a selection of traders that have been certified as reliable and trustworthy by Trading Standards. Prior to being enrolled on the scheme, the […]
A successful professional rugby player has returned to his carpentry roots following his retirement from the game, brushing up the joinery skills he learned to see him through his time as an amateur. Chris Fortey has been played for Gloucester and Worcester Warriors since he embarked on his rugby career in 1996, but prior to […]
A successful career as a plumber can take years to cultivate but, once it is off the ground, reputation and referrals are key to sustaining a livelihood as a plumber. So what can a plumber do to establish and maintain his or her reputation? Evidence of dedication to high-quality training and education is generally a […]
Half-completed DIY projects in Britain’s homes are an untapped goldmine of opportunities for the country’s tradesmen it seems, after research revealed that there are unfinished home improvements currently blighting nearly two-thirds of the country’s homes. A poll of more than 3,200 families carried out by RatedPeople.com, the online trade recommendation service, found that around 14 […]
The Ladder Association has taken over responsibility for the construction industry’s Ladder Exchange programme this autumn, which will allow anyone who relies on ladders for work to receive discounts on new ladders by exchanging their old ones. The exchange will launch at the beginning of September and continue to the end of November. The exchange […]
Morrison, the repairs and maintenance company, has won a number of new business contracts in the north east of England, raising potential opportunities for tradespeople across a range of disciplines. The company, which is a major provider of maintenance services to social housing organisations, has won a new 12-month contract with the Two Castles Housing […]
Many members of Britain’s construction workforce have always valued the opportunities they have for keeping active on the job through manual labour and avoiding having to sit at a desk all day. New information from one of the country’s biggest manufacturers of professional workwear has now shown, however, that the average size of Britain’s construction […]
DIY-happy but underinsured homeowners in the UK are putting themselves at risk of hefty bills by attempting to fix problems in their homes themselves, according to the Halifax. Research carried out by Halifax Home Insurance found that around two-thirds of the people surveyed said that they had carried out their own home improvements instead of […]
Ryedale District Council in North Yorkshire is driving forward the use of solar energy to heat public facilities, having just installed solar panels on the roof of its public swimming baths. Ryedale Pool in Pickering has had a huge solar thermal array installed on its roof, after investigations into having the pool’s boiler replaced led […]
Conservation work on National Trust mill in Cheshire is nearing completion, with the success of the delicate project relying on the skills of a host of local craftsmen and builders. The project manager, Catherine Farfan, has been blogging the progress of the restoration efforts and said that, at one point, they even had father-and-son specialist […]
