Wednesday 30 November 2011

BWF announces winner of 2011 John Hedgecock Memorial Award at glittering Annual Dinner

The 2011 John Hedgecock Memorial Award was announced on Friday 18th November at the Annual Dinner of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) at the Waldorf Hotel, London.

Amidst the grandeur of the hotel’s Palm Court, more than 120 joinery industry leaders, timber industry manufacturers and distributors and senior client contacts gathered to celebrate the achievements of the last 12 months.

The 2011 John Hedgecock Memorial Award was given to JELD-WEN for its Howdens Burford door project.

The JELD-WEN Howdens Burford door was launched earlier this year as a special moulded door exclusively designed to compliment Howdens Joinery’s best selling kitchen range, and to provide a family of kitchen frontals and matching joinery doors.

The Shaker-style Burford range includes four and six panel designs from small, wardrobe sized doors to the largest metric sizes, glazed doors and fire door options.

Saturday 26 November 2011

Ford of Britain 100: Image of the Week – 47/52

To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images. Ford's unique relationship with Britain and its society will be illustrated each week by specially selected pictures.

This week the archives reveal the significant evolution in the design of sporty but practical vehicles.

The launch of the Ford Capri in 1969 introduced a sleek and sporty car into the UK market. It was claimed that the Capri had a spacious rear seat ensuring enough room for two adults as well as offering Custom Plans allowing customers to personalise their Ford.


"The car you always promised yourself" – the Ford Capri – was re-launched in 1968 after the original Capri 109E, 116E and GT models sold well in the early 60s.  The new Capri featured a long bonnet and Ford Mustang-like styling with a range of extras to choose from.  These included chrome wheel trims, reclining seats and a map reading light.  The Ford Capri impressed customers and sold nearly two million units in Europe in only five years.



Today, the Ford S-MAX is a true example of a vehicle which balances sporty aesthetics with a practical design.  


This seven-seater offers high-performance from Ford’s new 240PS 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine, while providing ample storage space, offering multiple seating arrangements and plenty of options for customer personalisation. 



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Wednesday 23 November 2011

The Award Winning Teletower from ZARGES


The Teletower is one of the most exciting and innovative products to be developed for the access industry in years! 
Its unique patented telescopic operation means it is easy to transport, store and erect; the Teletower offers an efficient and lower-cost alternative to other low level access platforms.
With seven different platform heights - from 0.33 to 2.00 metres - at 25 cm increments - the Teletower offers working heights from 2.30 to 4.00 metres. The flexibility of the design means the Teletower is ideal for a wide range of uses; from maintenance and decorating to gardening and DIY.
Fully erected by one person in less than 3 minutes, the Teletower will save time and effort, previously wasted in unloading and assembling traditional scaffold towers.
Stabiliser legs with 5 optional positions and lockable castors; as well as a large folding platform (1.40 x 0.70 metres) with a climb-through hatch; have been included in the design of this superb tower. Platform support braces and integral advanced guardrails offer high safety levels by reducing errors during the erection process. The Teletower comes with the reassurance of conforming to EN 1004.
Available in both aluminium and GRP - non-conductive for use near electrical hazards - the Teletower comprises two parts; the scaffold unit (41 kilos) and folding platform (14 kilos). The entire unit is easily carried in the back of an estate car or van.


The Teletower will offer Businesses a very safe and efficient option for working at height. For further information visit the ZARGES website and a see a video demonstration or call 01908 641118.

Images show Aluminium (upper) and Fibreglass (lower) models in open and closed positions.

Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Monday 21 November 2011

Seasonal Makeover for Garage and Internal Doors

This "Winter Road" garage door cover by style-your-garage.com makes it look like a long road stretches through a snow-covered landscape behind your garage.

 The brainchild of Thomas Sassenbach, "Style-Your-Garage.com" has updated its collection of designs for the holiday season. This is the first time that the German firm has produced a Christmas collection to add to its popular tromp l'oeil garage coverings. 

A stunning effect:
Their garage billboards can give any standard garage door a whole new look. The printed 3D designs are deceptively realistic and will make everyone stop and stare.Watch the company's promotional video here. 

A large selection of designs:
They have over 250 different standard designs and a number of sponsored designs for you to choose from. What’s more, they can also create a customised photo tarpaulin for your garage door using one of your own digital images. 

Photo films for interior doors too!

Interior doors are mostly dull and often unimaginative. But that’s all changed now!
With full-surface, high-quality photo films, style-your-door.com can give boring interior doors a whole new look - and suddenly there’s something “behind a door” that you normally wouldn’t find or expect.
The 3D motifs are deceptively realistic and will cause family, neighbours and friends to stop and stare!





Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Sunday 20 November 2011

365 Sports Cars You Must Drive

 A new book by By John Lamm with Larry Edsall & Steve Sutcliffe

A DIFFERENT SPORTS CAR FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR!

Sports cars make up one of the most beloved automotive genres for the majority of car fans – in fact, you’ve probably heard that “Getting there is half the fun” and “It’s the journey not the destination” well, whoever coined those phrases was probably driving a Ferrari or a Porsche!

365 Sports Cars You Must Drive provides fun facts and overviews on the greatest, oddest, most beautiful, and most ill considered sports cars of all time. Every sports car you’ve ever dreamed of driving - and a few that never occurred to you – is presented in this entertaining volume making this the perfect read for all automotive enthusiasts.

365 Sports Cars You Must Drive includes hyper-performing German supercars to classic British roadsters, including icons like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Corvette to everyman sportsters from Triumph, MG, Sunbeam and Miata to oddballs like Crosley, Sabra, and DB. Sports cars inspire passion and strong opinions as few other vehicles on the road could and authors John Lamm, Larry Edsall and Steve Sutcliffe put you in the driver’s seat of 365 unique sports cars, each with a road to travel and a story to tell.

How many have you driven……..dreamed about……….or even shuddered at the thought of?

365 Sports Cars You Must Drive is available to order in the UK from Amazon.co.uk or Grantham Book Services on 01476 541080 -  Published by Motorbooks in Paperback ISBN: 9780-7603-4045-5.

RRP: £14.99 or less at Amazon online



Saturday 19 November 2011

Ford of Britain 100: Image of the Week – 46/52

To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images. Ford's unique relationship with Britain and its society will be illustrated each week by specially selected pictures.

This week the archives have been under investigation to reveal Ford’s long standing relationship with Britain’s police force.

For several decades Ford vehicles have been a favourite of the UK’s emergency services. ‘Bobbies’ could regularly be seen patrolling local villages in sky-blue Ford Anglias, with iconic white doors, as commonly seen in the popular 1960s television programme, Heartbeat.

The Ford Anglia 105E was notably famous for its overhead valve engine and long gearing, which anticipated the opening of Britain’s major new motorways the M1 and M6 in the early 1960s. This Ford sold more than one million units since its debut at the Earls Court motorshow in 1959. Available as a saloon or an estate car, the Anglia was on sale for eight years until 1967.

Today, Ford vehicles still play a leading role in Britain’s emergency services with cars ranging from the Ford Fiesta to the Ford Mondeo and Ford Transit van. 



You can follow the latest news from Ford at: www.facebook.com/ford www.twitter.com/forduk or www.youtube.com/forduktv 



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Friday 18 November 2011

Legbud UK Supports MacMillans Cancer Charity with Coffee


Legbud UK recently swapped smart-pass doors for coffee and cake as they sponsored a local coffee morning in aid of Macmillan’s Cancer. 
Legbud supplied all the beverages; and ingredients to make a range of tempting cakes and biscuits, which were sold in aid of the Cancer charity.

The morning was organised and hosted by Legbud UK Sales Manager’s wife, Laura Berry, who was raising money in memory of her mother Jean Westlake. With gift aid the event raised over £500 for the charity that provides practical, medical and financial support for people suffering with cancer.

If you would like to donate please send cheques to “Macmillan Cancer Support” to Legbud UK. Unit 19, The Fort Industrial Park, Dunlop Way, Birmingham, B35 7AR


Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Thursday 17 November 2011

Specifying CE Marked timber doorsets – a guide for building professionals’ document

At present, CE marking in the UK is voluntary and expectation is by 2013, CE marking of all relevant construction products will become compulsory in all EU member states and will include doorsets.

With the benefits of CE marked doorsets clearly apparent they are fully expected to become the default requirement for major projects such as schools, hospitals and other public buildings and that CE marked doorsets will be the preferred specification for general applications as they offer many advantages compared with door assemblies created on site from separately sourced components. These door assemblies cannot be CE marked and, even with a door assembly comprising components previously forming part of a CE marked doorset, they may not be compatible, therefore it cannot be assumed that this is in any way equivalent to obtaining a CE marked doorset from a single source.

Leaderflush Shapland, the UK’s leading performance doorset manufacturer, sees CE marking as a positive step and is working in conjunction with the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) to promote the benefits to architects, specifiers, designers, contractors and end-users through a specifically tailored document titled ‘Specifying CE marked timber doorsets - a guide for building professionals’, which can be downloaded from the Leaderflush Shapland website. The document outlines what standards CE marked timber doorsets will need to be tested to and the benefits to the specifier of choosing CE marked timber doorsets.

Ray Anning, Leaderflush Shapland’s Head of Technical and NPD explained why the company is giving its full support to the new standard, “CE marking will mean that one manufacturer alone is responsible and accountable for the performance and certification of the entire doorset and ironmongery assembly and that compatibility of all the components is assured.

“It also considerably improves on-site logistics leading to faster and more accurate installation and reducing potential health and safety issues with site work and assembly.”

Leaderflush Shapland has been a long-time advocate of the doorset as a fully finished, engineered element comprising frame, pre-hung door leaf (with any vision panels) and essential ironmongery, all matched and pre-assembled in the factory and delivered to site as a package for reassembly and simple installation. Their doorsets are designed as complete, engineered units to meet specific performance requirements and manufactured to exacting standards from established components under factory conditions.

For more information, call 01773 530500 or visit www.leaderflushshapland.co.uk




Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Hörmann Join NaSBA

 Hörmann has joined the National Self Build Association (NaSBA), which promotes self build as one of the best methods of delivering new housing.  

With the aim to encourage best practice in the self build sector it was a natural link for Hörmann to make.


The Hörmann Group is an internationally-oriented, fast-growing company in the construction supplier industry. Doors, hinged doors, frames and operators are manufactured for the markets in Europe, North America and Asia at 16 highly-specialised factories. Employing more than 6,000 staff, this 100% family-owned company has achieved over 1 billion euros in sales.

Hörmann's continued commitment to quality and best practice has established the company as the  market leader in garage doors throughout Europe. Self build is already established as a much more important part of the housing market in the rest of Europe and has fuelled the growth in more energy efficient options, such as insulated sectional garage doors.

The self build market is driven more by benefits than price, and as such is an opportunity for the door industry to promote higher quality, higher value options.
 



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Genie to Close Two Manufacturing Operations

Genie® is one of America's best known and trusted consumer brand names, founded in 1923. Millions of their products are in use today. Dependability, high quality and nationwide service are just a few reasons Americans choose a Genie® branded garage door opener.

Yet last month in another sign of the times that we are in, The Genie Company, a subsidiary of Overhead Door Corp., announced plans to consolidate manufacturing operations and close its Alliance, Ohio, and Shenandoah, Va., manufacturing facilities.

Read the full story on the Professional Door Dealer website.
 



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Monday 14 November 2011

Quarterly CIPD Labour Market Outlook

Quarterly CIPD Labour Market Outlook: UK braced for a slow, painful employment contraction while employers hedge their bets.

UK employers are scaling back on all employment-related operations; with fewer organisations planning to offshore jobs abroad and recruit overseas workers against a backdrop of less recruitment and fewer redundancies. This is the key finding from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) autumn Labour Market Outlook report, a survey of more than 1,000 employers.

The employment situation will deteriorate further in the fourth quarter of 2011, with the Labour Market Outlook net employment index* having fallen to -3 from -1 in the past three months. This is the second successive quarterly fall and the lowest net balance since last winter. Medium-term prospects are no better, with the twelve-month index also recording -2. The private sector looks set to grow in the next three months (+20), but at a slower pace than in recent quarters. Confidence in the public sector remains low (-50) for the next three months and is even lower for the year ahead (-57). Meanwhile, the voluntary sector has seen no movement in net employment intentions for the fourth quarter of 2011, remaining at +7.

Employers also seem to be hedging their bets on all employment-related decisions in response to the current economic uncertainty: hiring intentions and redundancy intentions have fallen across all sectors compared with recent previous reports. The proportion of firms intending to hire migrant workers, which has risen steadily in recent consecutive quarters, has also fallen to 19% from 25% during the past three months. Meanwhile, the proportion of firms planning to offshore jobs to other parts of the world has also decreased to 6% from 10% in the past year. India remains the most popular destination for offshoring, with half of employers surveyed planning to locate some or all of their operations in India. The functions most likely to be offshored are finance and accounts and IT support.

Gerwyn Davies, Public Policy Adviser at the CIPD, said: “The figures point to a slow, painful contraction in the jobs market. Many firms appear to be locked in ‘wait and see’ mode, with some companies scaling back on all employment decisions against a backdrop of increasing uncertainty as a result of the eurozone crisis and wider global economic turmoil. The good news resulting from this lull in business activity is that fewer employers are looking to relocate abroad or make redundancies. The downside is that recruitment intentions are falling, which will make further rises in unemployment therefore seem inevitable given that public sector job losses are outpacing the predictions made by the Office for Budget Responsibility. There is no immediate sign of UK labour market conditions improving in the short or medium term.”

* The Labour Market Outlook net employment index measures the difference between the proportion of employers that intend to increase total staffing levels and those that intend to decrease total staffing levels.

Image by BView





Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

New tribunal statistics on flexible working and red tape

"Red Tape"New tribunal statistics show right to request flexible working carries no red tape burden for business.

New figures, obtained by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) under a Freedom of Information request, show that out of a total 218,100 employment tribunal claims in 2010/11, just 277 alleged that employers had failed to observe flexible working regulations. 


The majority of these claims (229) were successfully conciliated by ACAS or settled out of court and, of the 48 that actually reached tribunal, just 10 were successful.

Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at CIPD, comments: "These figures are hardly calculated to keep employers awake at night. They demonstrate beyond any doubt that the fears expressed about the impact of extending the right to request flexible working are grossly exaggerated. The right to request is not a burden on business but an example of 'light-touch' regulation that is more likely to support - rather than inhibit - business performance.

 "The reality is that businesses of all sizes are way ahead of the critics in the way they have responded to the legislation. An extension of the law is highly unlikely to lead to an avalanche of requests because most employers already recognise that flexible working is an integral part of the modern workplace and thus are happy to consider requests from any employee, even beyond the statutory minimum. Flexible working is not just for parents: the UK's aging workforce means older workers increasingly have caring responsibilities and will want more flexible routes to retirement such as reducing hours or job sharing, while flexibility is also key to helping people off sick with health problems make phased and lasting returns to work."

The CIPD is urging Government to stick to its current implementation timetable for extending the right to request flexible working to all employees and refrain from extending the three year moratorium that exempts micro businesses from new employment legislation.

"The current calls to curtail or undermine employment regulation are a distraction from the debate we ought to be having about how to drive economic growth," continues Emmott. "The implausible equation between flexible working and burdens on business seems to be born of a refusal to accept that we live in a developed twenty-first century economy that is heavily dependent on the skills and commitment of its workforce. Making it easier to dismiss workers without good cause or watering down rights to flexible working is more likely to harm the prospects of UK plc by fostering the kind of crude and out-dated attitudes to employment relationships that will put employees off from going the extra mile."
 



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Sunday 13 November 2011

Driving Sunglasses Sales on the Increase

Leading online eyewear retailer i*Sunglasses have reported that driving sunglasses sales have increased dramatically since the clocks went back at the end of last month.
As a well established online retailer of eyewear solutions, i*Sunglasses can generally make very accurate predictions on sunglasses and lens type trends from season to season, this year has been no different and the clocks going back an hour at the end of October has seen a huge increase in the demand for driving sunglasses.

When the clocks go back, as a result the morning is a lot brighter and the sun tends to be at a level where it is directly shining into driver's eyes. Driving sunglasses help road users to block out the sun's rays and also increase visual perception which means that all round driving safety is increased.

There have been many debates over which type of lens and driving sunglasses perform the best during winter months however many manufacturers and retailers would recommend that a yellow or copper polarised lens would be the best solution.

Yellow and copper polarised lenses help to enhance light on days when it is dull, cloudy and misty, this is down to the blue blocking filter on yellow and copper lenses, as a result contrast and depth perception are also greatly improved.

Another major factor to consider is how well each lens type will block out glare from the sun, yellow and copper driving sunglasses perform extremely well in bright conditions. The polarised lens blocks out glare from the sun and road, whilst if the weather does go dull you also get the benefit of enhanced light.

So far this winter has been surprisingly warm, given that the summer season was largely a washout. Be prepared however for changing conditions daily and ensure that you have maximum eyewear and visual protection when driving.

For more information or to view i*Sunglasses range of driving sunglasses please visit their website. 



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Friday 11 November 2011

FORD OF BRITAIN 100 IMAGE OF THE WEEK – 45/52

To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images. Ford's unique relationship with Britain and its society will be illustrated each week by specially selected pictures. 

This week we have waded through the archives for an example of Ford vehicle versatility, as the 67th Rally of Great Britain approaches this weekend.

 In the 1969 San Remo Rally in Italy, British drivers Roger Clark and Jim Porter navigate some awkward terrain in their Ford Escort Mk1 Twin Cam.  The pair went on to win the Circuit of Ireland Rally the following year.


Launched in 1968, the Ford Escort Twin Cam was one of the most exciting cars of its time and proved an important rally-weapon in Ford’s competition department. The Escort was 136kg lighter than a Lotus Cortina, with taut handling, stiff structure and good balance.  It enjoyed a remarkable run of sporting successes, winning its class several times over three years including the Danish Rally three times and the Austrian Alpine Rally.

More than 50 years later the UK's best-selling car, the Ford Fiesta, continues to show that small cars can deliver.  In its ECOnetic form, it returns 78.5mpg*, but for this weekend’s Rally GB the Fiesta RS WRC will be powered by a special 300bhp 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine.

First image: 1969 Roger Clark and Jim Porter demonstrate the Ford Escort's potential as a boat!

Second image: Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen powering through a shallow lake in the Fiesta WRC on day three of the 2011 Mexico

Follow the Ford Motor Company at www.facebook.com/ford , www.twitter.com/forduk or www.youtube.com/forduktv



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.
 

Monday 7 November 2011

New electronic lock is a quick and easy way to upgrade security

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies has introduced PegaSys Lite, a simple, compact and cost-effective way to upgrade doors with mechanical locks to fully electronically-controlled access solutions. PegaSys Lite is available in two versions: ‘PIN’ which allows access via a keypad and ‘Prox’ for access via a key fob.

Designed for smaller premises and for a limited number of users, PegaSys Lite is supplied complete with everything needed to retrofit onto an existing standard European lockcase. The PIN version assigns unique user codes of between three and eight digits which can be quickly added or removed at the door. The Prox version is slightly different in that it is purchased as a starter kit consisting of one lock, 10 access fobs and a programming card for one door. Additional locks and key fobs can then be purchased to add extra doors or users to your system, as required.

Both options are very quick and easy to install without any technical knowledge and can be working in under four minutes. As the locks are programmed individually at each door, there is no need for a computerised system or any wiring. Both versions are fully reversible, feature a ‘quick change’ battery unit which enables batteries to be replaced in seconds and can be set to ‘free passage’ mode when the door does not need to be locked.

PegaSys Lite provides an easy way to improve security quickly and cost-effectively and can be used in conjunction with other products from Ingersoll Rand to provide a one-stop security solution for all doors, including door furniture, closers, lockcases, panic and exit hardware.

More information about the PegaSys Lite system can be found at www.ingersollrand.co.uk or contact the Marketing Department on 01922 707400 for a copy of the new PegaSys Lite brochure. 



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Saturday 5 November 2011

A272 – An Ode to a Road

To some people it’s a ‘lovely, lovely lane’; to others ‘the worst b****y road in the south’.

To Dutchman Pieter Boogaart and his wife Rita, it is the Epitome of England. A272 An Ode to a Road was written and designed to prove their point.

It instantly became a cult classic when it was written and it’s been reprinted many times.  It has been out of print for some years now – but, this 11th anniversary edition has been revised, augmented and improved by Pieter and Rita; AND AT LAST IT’S BACK AND IT’S 272 PAGES LONG!

 A decade-old obsession for Dutchman Pieter Boogaart resulted in a guidebook that looks like no other, on a subject never previously fully explored … the A272.

Three continuous texts wind their way through the book, simultaneously exploring the A272 itself and the countryside it passes through; extra commentary is provided in yet another level of text.  Hundreds of colour photographs complete this homage to the ‘epitome of England’.

Now with even more wonderful additions like:
o    The Southwater Iguanodon sculpture in Lintot Square
o    Oberon’s Palace in the Collector Earl’s Garden in Arundel
o    The new follies at Woolbeding
o    An astonishing life-size Archangel Gabriel at South Harting church by sculptor Philip Jackson
o    The Heritage Sundial in Horsham which was unveiled by the Queen – stunning and unique
o    And Pieter’s award for village Millennium monuments … the extraordinary bronze column in Cocking

Pieter Boogaart is the European Secretary of the Folly Fellowship.  A noted book reviewer and teacher, he lives with his wife and collaborator Rita (an art historian and lecturer) in the Netherlands. 

This book is crazy, informative and hugely enjoyable.

Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight called it “Astonishing”.

Art Quarterly called it “A Bound Folly”.


A272 – An Ode to a Road
Authors:  Pieter and Rita Boogaart



 Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Friday 4 November 2011

Ford of Britain 100: Image of the Week – 44/52

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes
 To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images. Ford's unique relationship with Britain and its society will be illustrated each week by specially selected pictures.

 

Long before Simon Cowell, Ford vehicles were enjoying their own X-Factor.

As the vehicle of choice for many aspiring rock stars, the Ford Transit was often the workhorse for bands. This week’s image shows ‘60s chart-toppers, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, alongside their 1966 Ford Transit Custom. Formed in 1958, the Dagenham-based group, which enjoyed success with hits such as “Twist and Shout” and “Do You Love Me”, knew the importance of reliable transport and the Ford Transit easily carried the group and their equipment between gigs.


Over 40 years later Ford is still helping to move British performers. “Britain’s Got Talent” winner, Diversity, use a Ford Galaxy as transport and newcomers to the music scene have been enjoying Britain’s best-selling commercial vehicle via the “Bands In Transit” (www.bandsintransit.com) programme.


Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet
 And even established stars opt for Ford. For Spandau Ballet’s recent comeback tour, Ford supplied various vehicles, with lead singer Tony Hadley opting for the Ford S-MAX, albeit in Ink Blue, rather than Gold. 




 
Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Thursday 3 November 2011

Sustainable location, location, location

According to Phil Spencer, the presenter of Location, Location, Location and its spin-off, Relocation, Relocation, there are several ways to add value to your house, as well as make it more saleable, beyond doing the obvious such as converting loft space or adding a conservatory. 

Before
After
 The property guru suggests that you take a long look at the outside of the property, because it is so easy to just take the overall appearance of your home for granted when you pass through your door every day.  



In fact, he recommends that one should refurbish the front door by replacing worn looking handles and letterboxes, or replace the door itself if it looks shabby. Because first impressions count, he also recommends painting the house, changing windows so that they look smart and in keeping with the age of the property, and then concentrate on the kitchen.

He says: “If you are only going to improve one room, make it the kitchen. This has now become the showpiece area of the home. We don’t just cook in it, we do homework in it, and we watch television in it and hold dinner parties there.  The number one priority is creating a handsome and efficient work surface …”

Well, all of this is going to cost quite a lot of money, and this is where a company called Plastic Surgeon can save a tidy sum for those people selling their homes.  Why replace a door with a gouge in it when one of their finishers can repair it by filling, sanding and then colour-matching it perfectly so that it looks brand new?

The same can be said for the kitchen, which to replace is both disruptive and very expensive, because it would inevitably involve calling in other trades such as electricians, plumbers and tiling specialists.

Plastic Surgeon's finishers frequently repair gouges, burns and scratches on worktops, unit doors and even floor or wall tiles.  Plus they are expert at repairing chips in ceramic, steel and composite sinks, as well as scratches or dents on white goods such as cookers, cooker hoods and dishwashers. This their finishers also do in bathrooms, undertaking repair work to sinks, baths, showers, bidets and toilets.

In fact, their finishers can also complete all the little jobs that never seem to get done – or go wrong - by the enthusiastic DIYer, that make the sale of a property unlikely.  Phil Spencer explains: “If you make a very visible mess or bodge-up, it raises all sorts of questions in the buyer’s mind about all the more crucial bodge-ups they can’t see, for example, electrics and plumbing.”

Brick Tinting
 They can also tint bricks that may be inaccurate in colour so that they match exactly; remove gouges out of plastic, timber and steel doors, windows and cills; their finishers can also repair damage to the stone, cladding, rendered, block or brick walls of a property – internally and externally – and then mix the right colour to compliment the surrounding hue. 

 

In fact, it would seem that they are able to repair just about anything!

Find out more at www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk







Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

GDP growth 'better but not better enough for jobs'

Dr John Philpott, Chief Economic Adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) comments as follows on the preliminary estimate of UK GDP for Q3 2011 published earlier today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS):

"There is mixed news in the third quarter GDP figure. Quarterly growth of 0.5% is better than we've seen for a year but still well below par for the course in an economy that first emerged from recession two years ago. Moreover, adjusting for the knock on effects of the 'special events' that may have diminished growth in the second quarter and boosted it in the third, the ONS suggests that growth probably averaged just 0.25% in each of the second and third quarters.

"An underlying quarterly growth rate of 0.25% is better than nothing but barely amounts to an economic recovery. Growth at this rate is not only too weak to stem the rise in unemployment but increases the likelihood of a 'job loss recovery', that is where the economy expands but not by enough to prevent private sector employers from laying off staff.

"Even more worrying, however, is the possibility that the third quarter growth rate is the best we will see until the middle of 2012. Growth in the third quarter was still being supported by an expanding government sector. As this expansion wanes under the pressure of fiscal austerity, and with considerable uncertainty about the prospects for export sectors and consumer services sectors, the chances are that growth will be slower for at least the next two quarters. Add in the fact that a double-dip recession can't be ruled out and it's clear that today's GDP growth figure may be better but not better enough for jobs."


Image by London Matt



Limited Offer: Your company could benefit from some free publicity like this, just send us your news item and we will consider publishing it for you. For details on features and advertising rates please contact us or visit our website.