INDUSTRYNEWS FROMTHEEDITOR
A Spring in our step ?
» WHILE ANY ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD always be approached with caution , the ‘ Roadmap to Recovery ’ has undoubtedly put a little spring in our step for March . Aside from getting a haircut and swapping out the elasticated waistbands though ( something I ’ ll never be ready for ), what does the estimated timetable of events mean for fenestration ?
Step One : Schools and places of education are first priority . Anyone home schooling may be disappointed at missing out on their daily PE lesson and relieved that long division is now back in the hands of the teachers . There ’ s plenty of skills still to be learnt in fenestration however as associations and organisations have started to offer training for the Green Home Grants , plus webinars and online seminars from a variety of brands and businesses remain ; suitable for everyone from fitter to fabricator .
Step Two : By the end of this very month , restrictions regarding outdoor gathering are set to be relaxed , and while mid-April has been pencilled in for bars and restaurants to re-open for al-fresco dining , with the ‘ rule of six / two households ’ guidelines still in place , get set for garden set sales to soar . In fact , online and high street retailers have already reported a surge in sales for barbecues , patio furniture , garden toys and everything in between , so expect the same for garden rooms , cladding and decking , outdoor security , et al .
Step Three : By May , most commercial and even closecontact service providers could have opened their doors again , which means that they will likely require maintenance and even refurbs ahead of their grand re-launch . As wedding and similar functions look set to also restart - with more people allowed to attend - and hotels and B & Bs possibly reopening in May too , this could be the news property owners and managers have been waiting for to get new doors and windows fitted , existing ones repaired / restored , and all-important safety and security checks addressed . Step Four : The end of June is due to see most of ‘ normality ’ return once again . For the industry , this means those events and exhibitions can go ahead ; even if it involves international travel . On a day-to-day basis , will this mean business as usual , or will things ever be the same again ?
While all of the above is still speculation , we can all forgive ourselves for letting it spark some excitement in us . And , I ’ d really welcome your professional thoughts on what you think each of these steps means for your own company and customers ?
Get them in before 12 April if you can , I have a beer garden to get to …
See you next time , Gemma , Editor
“ WE DON ’ T COUNT IF WE ’ RE NOT COUNTED ”
» STOPCOCKS WOMEN Plumbers is calling on tradeswomen from all industries to join its new National Register of Tradeswomen , which launched officially on 1 March . The register has been set up in response to ongoing frustrations around the lack of visibility of and access to tradeswomen and to address concerns of vulnerable householders , some of whom feel safer with women . The not-forprofit organisation also has plans to enable women to train in trades and access funds for training .
Householders will be able to access the register via a freephone number 0300 770 2252 to find suitable tradeswomen in their area . The tradeswomen will accept the work and admin staff will handle the invoicing and chasing up of payments .
Stopcocks founder , Hattie Hasan MBE began the not-forprofit register of tradeswomen during the first lockdown of 2020 in response to requests for tradeswomen from householders and discussions with women ’ s organisations requesting safer services provided by women for survivors of abuse .
Hattie Hasan MBE says , “ No one knows how many tradeswomen there are , and until we do we can ’ t measure how we ’ re doing or what needs to change . When you register it means you ’ ll count . Finally we will be counted . We want all tradeswomen , not only self-employed ones , to register so we can get an accurate picture in the UK and work towards making the changes we want to see . We ’ ll be asking all employers to encourage their tradeswomen to register . We don ’ t count if we ’ re not counted .
“ Thousands of householders have been telling us for years that they don ’ t feel safe not having a choice over who enters their house . Women , particularly , have been calling for more safety overall . They want the opportunity to choose who comes into their homes and for some this means choosing tradeswomen .”
The register is free to join and will be available for customers to use from 1 March 2021 .
For further information on Stopcocks Women Plumbers and the Register of Tradeswomen call 0800 8620010 or email mica @ tradeswomen . uk . High-res images available on request .
The campaign is launching on Instagram with the hashtag # StarttheROT .
‘ Stopcocks Women Plumbers is calling on tradeswomen from all industries to join its new National Register of Tradeswomen ’
4 » MAR 2021 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM