Minutes from Meeting held 14th June 2010
NORTH WEST REGION
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 14th JUNE 2010
AT 8.00PM
VENUE: The Birch & Bottle, Higher Whitley, Nr. Stretton
Chairman’s Welcome
Mike Thompson opened the meeting by welcoming all member and guests. Most members arrived early and took advantage of the excellent food menu at the “Birch and Bottle” which added to a very enjoyable evening.
Members attending (13) :-
M.Thompson, B. Massey, D. Hall, L.Hall, T. Worthington, J.Girdham, P.Worthington, T.Worthington, M.Bradbury, R.Lennon, P.Ekins, E.Davies, R.Lomax
There were no guests present:-
Apologies were received from the following people:-
Aryans, McKinney, Parody,
Guest Speaker
Karl Tindale from the HSE addressed the members with a helpful and frank insight into the current purge on working at heights which was being carried out in the North West. The HSE had drafted in extra enforcement officers to the area in an effort to stamp out rogue contractors who were carrying out roof works without the correct scaffolding or access equipment. They also offered advice to contractors on ways to improve site safety and were taking a common sense approach and trying to educate site workers rather than the usual perception of just prosecuting or stopping works. They were also explaining to clients /building owners who perhaps did not fully understand their obligations and to always consider working with companies who provide method statements and risk assessments along with good working practice instead of just accepting the cheapest price.
Karl, along with a lot of these extra officers brought in for this operation, were a from a construction industry background and their “commonsense” approach to issues was refreshing
(IE his clarification on any works on a roof of more than 30 minutes suggested that correct scaffold or access equipment should be in place and not just from a ladder /cat ladder helped some members understand the guidelines a little more clearly.) He also suggested to members to whistle blow on any works where you could see major works being carried out without the ANY correct scaffolding etc as these contractors were not only stealing work at extremely cheap prices but also putting people’s life at risk. He handed out some basic heath and safety tips and a copy of an awareness letter they were leaving with clients and these are attached for you information.
Minutes of the last meeting
The minutes of the last AGM were proposed by T.Worthington and seconded M.Bradbury
Matters arising
There were no matters arising
Board of Governors Report
Mike Thompson read out the updated news from H.Q.
Industry / Trade News
There was no specific trade news brought up for discussion.
Could members please forward copies of information /special offers or anything they would like to share with other members directly to the Regional Secretary for inclusion at meetings, any help would be greatly appreciated.
GOLF !!!!!!! One of our members who is a keen golfer, John Girdham, has kindly suggested that we could perhaps have some form of informal golf days where members could have a round of golf and take the opportunity to discuss work matters and network ? Could any interested members get in touch with the secretary, Dominic, who will be happy to put you in contact with John to discuss the idea further.
Any Other Business.
One of our new members who came along for the first time really enjoyed the evening and asked for his contact details to be circulated as he hadn’t brought any business cards with him .
As always the position of officers for the region is a “touchy” one and we are always keen to discuss the roles with any interested parties. We do have Mike as Chairman who is willing to stand again and Dominic as Secretary but would also ask if anyone can spare the time to take up a roll in the North West region to please contact Mike or Dominic directly. “New Blood” is required if the region is to develop further and of course new ideas and social circles etc all help to keep it interesting and moving forward
Date of the next meeting.
The next meeting will take place on Monday 13th December, Venue TBC
Minutes from Meeting held 18th March 2010
NORTH WEST ROOFING CONVENTION – WORKING TOGETHER -NFRC NW REGION/NW ROOF TRAINING GROUP/IoR NW REGION
Deciding it was time for new ways of working with such limited budgets, and ever conscious of time, the need to generate new ideas, and instill the message that meetings are important, roofing organisations in the North West Region took the lead again by working closely together, and coming up with the idea of a Roofing Convention for the large number of people who share this common interest.
With Organisers feeling confident, change happened and a new design was conceived to include the NFRC North West Region and the North West Roof Training Group Annual General meetings, two totally independent organisations, to exist side by side on one day, and then, ever aware of the other professional body and eager to promote it, the Committee of the Institute of Roofing in the North West was invited to come along too; three separate meeting on the 18th March with the opportunity to be involved in all three regardless of membership status.
No lethargy up here, bookings soared to the 80+ mark, and with the David Lloyd Fitness Centre near Chorley as a venue, its Conference facilities reasonably priced, light and airy and close to motorway links, the Team from the North West enjoyed their most successful AGMs ever.
Sponsors Ampteam, John Brash, Dupont Tyvek, Fakro, H D Sharman and the Proctor Group quickly realised the day’s potential and made the decision to support the day as Associate members of the NFRC.
Commencing with the ubiquitous bacon sandwiches, the NFRC NW Region AGM rattled through its business of the day and included a brisk annual report from the outgoing Chairman, Eddie Hilditch from Falcon Industrial Roofing, who highlighted several areas including customer loyalty, dutch auctions, clients taking advantage, cash flow, companies entering different markets and redundancies. The audience was made aware of the lobbying efforts made by NFRC and was urged to use the benefits of membership, often under utilised and sometimes even forgotten. Introducing Mike Long, President NFRC, to present the prestigious winning roofer award from the National Home Improvement Council, to Robin McGregor of McGregor Roofing, Denbigh, he then handed over the Chairman’s chain of office to Robin who will hold the reins for the next two years.
Following a detailed report on national matters from Mike Long, President NFRC and Ray Horwood, Chief Executive, Julian Still from Denison Till went into great detail on employment law, how to comply with the numerous obligations and methods of protecting oneself and one’s company in today’s cut throat market.
Coffee and a break followed and next up, was the North West Roof Training Group AGM without its Chairman, delayed en route, and its Vice Chairman who’d lost his voice on the way, so it was all down to Group Training Officer, Brian Wharton to host the meeting.
Details of increased membership and an explanation of the objectives and activities of the group followed with reference to apprentice numbers at Bolton College, now 65, and numbers taking part in OSAT provided by Preston College, now 193. Amongst other issues, method of application for grandfather rights to qualify for CSCS cards in the Built Heritage Sector was highlighted, progress in training in Heritage skills in the Region was reported and reference was made to the heats in roof slating & tiling for the National Skillbuild competition which would take place at Bolton College in late April.
Tom Gibney, Apprentice Framework Manager Construction Skills detailed new initiatives on QCF which will operate from December 2010. He also referred to a multitude of changes taking pace at CITB-CS due to financial restraints and to reduced grants to employers and Training Groups. Roger White, CITB-CS National Specialist Roofing Manager concluded this session by reconfirming his views on the role of Training Groups and reassuring the meeting that funding for apprentices would not change in the immediate future and was sacrosanct.
Mike Long, President NFRC updated the audience with the work of the Roofing Industry Alliance and right on time, the meeting broke for a nourishing northern lunch, as rightly, food is part of any well planned event and helps to contribute to the goal.
Suitable refreshed the Chairman of the NW Region IoR, took the helm and introduced Wayne Bagnall, Specialist Safety Adviser and Trainer in Asbestos and Demolition safety and a leading authority in the field who gave a detailed presentation on the subject.
A number of enquiries for IoR membership resulted and the Regions’ next meeting is to include a presentation from HSE which has recently recruited some 250 Inspectors and launched a campaign aimed at dangerous construction sites focussing on refurbishment work in the roofing sector.
Overall, participants appeared to be genuinely enthusiastic about the geater level of co-operation between organisations and friendly approach which also gave opportunities for networking. The financial advantage of sharing costs by holding three meetings at the same venue on the same day was helpful to all and the change of format appreciated. Given time to reflect, the Organisers will examine what can be learned from the experience and make recommendations for future events.
North West Region
Who to talk to to find out what is going on in the region
Suggestions of topics to cover in the meetings
Keep in contact with the regional contacts of the Institute
To contact your Regional Board of Govenor please click on the link and send your message.
To contact your Regional Officer please click on the link and send your message.
Tom Moon F.I.o.R
