A number of methods are being used at the grade one listed building to reduce its carbon footprint. The church will no longer rely on fossil fuels for heating and power. All electricity and heat will be generated through two completely new sources; electricity will come from solar panels, with a total of 22 panels being attached to the roof, and heating will be generated through wood pellets burnt in biomass boiler.

Perhaps the most straightforward of changes made – changing internal lights to the 20 watt low energy bulbs along with the outside lighting only being used during the winter period until 10:30pm – will have a considerable effect on energy consumption, as it will reduce electricity usage by up to 50%. On top of all this there will a digital display to show exactly what energy is being generated.

None of the work carried out will change the appearance or feel of the Norman Church and the plans have received nothing but praise from the local parish. The head of EC Harris, the international built asset consultancy, added,

“We’ve had 100 per cent positive feedback from the community. We’ve been very careful that work won’t affect the appearance or experience of the church and the large percentage of visitors would not realise it’s taken place.”

Along with the old collection the new store is also now home to brand new tile selections including modern and traditional tiles and kitchen and bathroom sections, also with lifestyle signage to show exactly what looks are achievable with their vast range of tiles, and an updated and improved store guide makes finding the type of tiles you’re looking for much easier.

To promote the new look Tile Depot, over 40,000 locals in Aylesbury will receive a flyer advertising the refurbishment and promoting the fact that the store currently has a summer sale on. Existing business customers registered for the trade card will be mailed information too, including a voucher entitling them to receive a free tub of adhesive when visiting the new look store. The store, which is located on the Broadfields Retail Park, isn’t stopping there; they have also put on their largest ever sale which offers up to 50% discount on kitchen and bathroom tiles.

The manager of the store, Pas Santaniello said the stress and disruptiveness of the refurbishment was at times hard to handle but now the store is completed the finished article more than compensates for it, and added,

“The re-fit has completely changed the store. It’s now bigger and brighter and a much better environment in which to display the tiles to the best effect. The new ranges are really special with something to suit every taste and there are some fabulous tiles with bold, vivid patterns for feature walls and contemporary rooms.”

The project is being implemented with a number of objectives in mind, including helping improve the environment by reducing carbon emissions, cutting the cost of yearly outgoings for those living in the council housing, and it is also hoped the action will encourage people to be more eco friendly and energy efficient to protect the environment for the future.

Solar panels that are used to generate electricity are also called solar PV, or photovoltaic panels. By mounting solar PV panels on a rooftop that is south facing, and therefore exposed to maximum sunlight during the day, properties have the highest chance of generating a good level of electricity from the sun’s energy, and even if skies are cloudy, solar panels can still generate energy. Solar panels, evacuated tubes and solar thermal technology which can provide hot water for your home are a popular way to invest in your home and your energy future. Many people are warning that the days of cheap energy are over, so reducing dependence on expensive fossil fuels could soon be crucial for all households.

Fire fighters from the area were called in to help with the rising levels, and got in touch with Bury Council whose staff came to the rescue helping residents move their property out to safety and clear up the wreckage left by the flood. Once the water levels in the drains had dropped further to the blockage being cleared, there was an oily residue left behind according to a spokesman from the fire service.

Drainage experts were called in to try get to the bottom of the cause, and it is believed that a large quantity of oil being emptied into a drain caused a blockage and is therefore responsible for the homes being flooded. This is now being looked into further by the Environment Agency to find out whether this is likely the cause of the problem.

One of the residents affected by the rainwater flooding into their home was 17-year-old Saniya Sajjan. She said, rties affected, said, It has caused lots of damage. We have had to throw out our carpets and our sofa is ruined. We have been told that oil down the drains caused the problem.”

There are monthly meetings planned throughout October and April and the group members will be concentrating on their own gardens through the summer months, with the odd social event for the club. One of the former groups concentrated solely on one site in the town, whilst the other was based the other side of Bracknell, but it is thought that by becoming one ‘superclub’, this will enable the club to cover all the area, and all aspects of gardening they have in mind, therefore offering a great package for gardeners in the area.

Bracknell Horticulture Association will be staging their successful seed discount scheme, all kinds of talks to cover all seasons, general garden topics discussions, quizzes, along with Gardeners question time type of events to inspire and encourage amateur gardeners to increase their skills. The plan is to create a welcoming sociable community for all gardeners around the area, as most of the towns and villages around Bracknell have their own villages and clubs.

The club has also laid down their own key objectives to achieve by forming the larger combined gardening group, which include representing the interests of all members of the groups, developing horticultural skills, which will be achieved using the wealth of knowledge from existing members, focusing on the community of Bracknell where horticultural issues are concerned and offering a wide choice of services, which of course will all be beneficial to all members, all of which support one of the largest aims, which is promotion of gardening for leisure and at allotment sites in Bracknell.

Anne was inspired with the idea to teach the trades to the fairer sex after enrolling at Redland Polytechnics in 1981 to study crafts and designs and finding it was purely seen as a man’s world and heavily dominated by men with the ‘know it all’ kind of attitude. Growing tired of the idea that women are put off from learning such important hands on skills, Anne spent £100 on tools and set up classes in a friend’s basement.

Over the years, the carpentry and joinery classes weren’t the only skills on offer; Anne introduced pottery classes, mechanics and even automotive maintaince group, along with evening classes for local kids. The workshop flourished from day one., however sadly now numbers are dwindling.

The local council stopped funding Anne’s classes back in 1999, meaning that all of her workshops apart from carpentry and upholstery have sadly ceased to run, however Anne has should be commended as she has taught an amazing 3,000 women throughout the Bristol area over the years in her modest classroom.

Anyone that is eager to learn the skill can do for the small cost of £5.00 per hour with carpentry classes run on a Tuesday from 7:30pm to 10:30pm, and upholstery classes at £9.00 per hour taking place on Thursdays between 7pm and 9pm. The only rule is that no men are permitted.

The full cost of the renovation came to a staggering £56,000 total but Flintshire Council agreed to pay £36,000 of the costs leaving the family to try and raise the remaining £20,500. Through what has been described as brilliant support from family and friends and also people donating money after hearing of Harvey’s plight through their local paper,  the Lace family managed to raise £5,500 and then applied for a £15,000 discretionary top up fund. This bid was successful and it means the work will start in the Autumn and should be completed by Christmas. Harvey’s mother, Christina Lace, said,

“It’s been a really nice surprise and really touching to see how much people care and are willing to help. We did really well with the fundraising and people who didn’t even know us came forward to help.”

When the communal areas recently became in need of redecoration and increased fire safety standards, the Crown Paints Team were drafted in to not only assist in the production of a variety of colour schemes but to also make sure that the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and the duty of care towards residents of the flats were met. These requirements were met with a series of visits to the flats to look over the existing paint work and carry out tests on current paintwork to assess how successful adhesion to the current paint coatings would be and to enable the most appropriate paints to be applied to meet the needs of the buildings.

Bloomsbury then drafted in CLC Contractors Ltd who son the tender and worked on the two tower blocks to complete the painting and decorating work with a team of 6 to 8 specialists working daily at the site. CLC brought 12 years of trading experience to the job and have carried out fire prevention work through all manner of industries from housing and healthcare to work for the MOD. The work was completed within budget and exactly to the required time scale thanks to the Crown Paints team and CLC working closely together.

Director of the Bloomsbury Estate Management Team, Tim Power, said the EMB was very happy with the handling of the contract and the outcome of the work, stating that the project was no ordinary redecoration job to brighten the walls and improve the aesthetics of the flats. He said,

“It was about fulfilling a duty of care towards the residents and complying with the latest legislative requirements. We are now reassured that in the unfortunate event of a fire breaking out, the Timonox coatings used on the walls and ceilings will inhibit flame spread and allow more time for safe evacuation to take place.”

Housing starts as part of private enterprises were up 10% than in the March quarter of this year, and in the same period there was a 17% increase in starts undertaken by social landlords who are registered.

The trend continued with a 44% increase in annual housing starts in the year preceding June 2010, which is an impressive increase in comparison to the same period ending in June 2009. However, there was a 13% drop in the annual figures for house construction completed in England, which reached over 110,000 up to June 2010 compared to the same period to June 2009. Despite this, all regions in England saw a rise in numbers of annual starts when figures for years leading up to June 2009 and June 2010 were compared.

The Director of website, smartnewhomes.com commented about the rise in housing starts showed by the statistics, saying that the recent rise in house building starts is very welcome news for the industry as a whole, but the figure is still way below the 42% peak of March 2007. He went on to say that the coalition government’s current policy towards housing is making it hard for the industry to make progress, and as a result could rapidly reverse the housing start up increase that is demonstrated by the statistics. He noted that the most recent Demand Index on his website had shown the number of new homes being put on the property market had stayed low for the second month running. He concluded,

With a consultation paper not due out until late October at the earliest, the industry faces the prospect of further uncertainty. At present, Housing Minister Grant Shapps has only offered outline details of his proposal to offer a ‘New Homes Bonus’ to councils to encourage development and there is little proof that the money on offer will be enough to incentivise communities to agree to much needed new homes.”

They are recommending that people never agree to work being carried out by people who knock door to door and that locals should use a recommended tradesperson such as finding a tradesman via a website service that works with recommended tradespeople. Residents can then be confident when considering having any work carried out that any listed tradespeople found through the service have agreed to adhere to strict standards and, where tradesmen say they are registered with trade bodies, have had background checks carried out to put the consumer at ease.

Norfolk Trading Standards are also advising that the following checklist should be carried out to ascertain whether a trader is reputable or not:

• Is the tradesman registered with a professional trade body?
• Is an insurance-backed guarantee for work offered?
• Can previous customers’ references be provided and other work viewed as examples of quality workmanship?
• Are they happy to provide a written fixed price quote, and to agree the stage at which payment should be made?
• Have you got their contact details including name, address and telephone number?

Norfolk County Council Trading Standards intervened with one trader who was attempting to carry out work on an elderly couple’s home without gaining full permission from the homeowners. This has allowed the couple to now gain more quotations and have the time to choose exactly who they feel should carry out the work. A county council spokesman stated

“In some cases the householders were not aware that the work had even started.”