HARDWARE
A LESSON IN CHARITY: HARDWARE DONATION
TO ASSISTS SCHOOL REBUILD IN NEPAL
Sliding and folding door hardware
manufacturer, P C Henderson, has recently
donated materials to help with the rebuild
of a primary school in Nepal after it was
left devastated by an earthquake in 2015.
» SITUATED ON A PICTURESQUE
mountainside, the village of San Bhorle was
left in ruins when the 7.8Mw earthquake
hit, levelling every one of its 43 houses and
primary school. All but one resident survived,
but the community was left to rebuild their
lives with no materials, tools or machinery.
Learning Planet, a charity which helps
remote communities design, finance and
construct new schools, stepped in to help.
As the only communal building in the
village - and the only one which would have
permanent power and internet access - the
local community required a school building
which could also be used for other events such
as village meetings and celebrations.
In order to achieve this level of flexibility,
large bi-folding doors were needed in the
centre of the building. This would allow the
area to be used as a classroom when closed
off or put to other uses when opened up. A
folding partition wall was also to be installed
in one of the classrooms, allowing teachers to
create a private office space when necessary.
Justin Wickham, Co-Founder and
Executive Director at Learning Planet,
commented “I was looking for a really solid
system which would work faultlessly in a
very remote location, for years, with minimal
maintenance. After some research, I got in
touch with the team at P C Henderson. I was
really moved when they offered to donate
all of the hardware free of charge. It was
extremely heartening to get such a positive
response.”
P C Henderson’s Securefold system was
identified as the best solution for the project.
Carrying ten solid hardwood doors measuring
225cm high x 50cm wide - it was important
that the system could comfortably cope with a
heavy load - whilst still allowing for effortless
and safe opening by adults and children.
“The Securefold system works beautifully
for our requirements. We opted to install the
doors in five sets of two – meaning they can
be moved around in pairs to create gaps for
fresh air, light and easy access. The doors can
also be stacked completely clear of the opening
– creating a huge, open, covered atrium – a
perfect space for performances, and for
hosting all kinds of village events.
“The installation went smoothly except
for a snag when we realised the Securefold
bolts were a centimetre too long. We couldn’t
shorten the bolts, or make/buy other ones
to fit. It looked like a deal breaker until our
carpenter appeared with some washers he’d
made from a flip flop! It worked a dream. In
remote locations, we often rely on that kind
of ingenuity, as standard materials just aren’t
available,” continued Justin.
P C Henderson’s Husky Folding door
hardware was also specified for the internal
partition wall required in the classroom. With
only a few small pieces of building work
required to get the project completely finished,
the school should hopefully be in full use in
the near future.
Stephanie Lee, Marketing Manager at P
C Henderson, commented “Each year P C
Henderson commits to supporting charities
on a local, national and international scale.
We were delighted to support such a fantastic
cause, it’s great to see how our hardware can be
used to create flexible solutions which have a
huge impact for local communities.”
www.pchenderson.com
46 » JUL 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK.COM