A new year is a fantastic time to think about reorganising your church hall in preparation for any upcoming events you may be hosting in 2017. At Mogo Direct, supplying halls with practical folding chairs and tables along with other key furnishings is one of our primary specialities, so we have a great range of products that may be suitable for what you need.

Of course, the first step you’ll need to take is to thoroughly clear out and tidy your hall space. It’s very common for miscellaneous bits and pieces to accumulate in church halls, as there simply may not be a place for everything to be tidied away immediately. If you want to maximise your space and put it to good use, though, you need to tackle this. Get your clutter organised and packed into storage if necessary.

Northcot Brick’s flagship project, the Newport Street Gallery, has been declared the outright winner of the‘Supreme Award’ - the highest accolade given by the Brick Development Association (BDA) in its annual ‘Brick Awards’.

As one of the longest established and most widely respected building awards in the UK, the annual BDA Brick Awards recognise excellence in design and construction using brick.

In the Summer of last year Essex-based stained glass restorers AuraVisions were engaged to repair a large rose window at Christ Church in North Finchley. The window was made by Clayton and Bell in around 1870 and sits high in the west gable of the church. It consists of eight large cinquefoils (five-leaved designs), eight spokes and eight outer triangles, plus a central quatrefoil (four-leaved) light.

The geometric vine pattern, with varied multi-coloured floral motifs, swirls around the window with handmade glasses, giving a sparkly and intense kaleidoscopic feel. The window was restored as part of a major project to repair the whole of the west wall of the church, which involved extensive repairs to the stonework and tracery.

Mr Dan O’Sullivan, NFRC Heritage Roof Master explains:

Roofing is a specialist industry, though unfortunately its all too common among non-professionals and some roofing contractors that mistakes are made and this can lead to costly problems. With over 19 years of experience we know that small errors can cause leaks, structural damage, and serious repairs and therefore particularly with conservation and heritage projects, you just can’t afford for such mistakes to be made.

Sash windows can really make a home stand out from the exterior but if you don’t take the proper steps to maintain them they can cause big problems. Over time, just like everything else, they can degrade and start to suffer in terms of functionality, performance, and style. If left for long enough, restoration shall no longer be possible and a replacement will be necessary.

As soon as you notice any problems developing, it's recommended you call someone to rectify the issue. David Humble excel at sash window restoration in Northumberland and understand exactly what is needed to preserve the windows and retain the property.

A remarkable online experiment is offering a valuable insight into damp in old buildings – and an effective treatment for the problem.

Rising damp specialists Aquapol are in the process of monitoring the effectiveness of their system in a real building, in real time. With the co-operation of the owners of the building – a 200-year-old stone house in the British countryside – Aquapol have installed four sets of micro-sensors into the walls at a depth of 200mm. The sensors detect relative humidity, temperature and magnetic field.

Blenheim Palace is a large iconic country house near Woodstock in Oxfordshire. It is home to the Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Winston Churchill. As part of a large restoration project on the East Courtyard Tower, Mansfield based Time Assured was chosen to restore four large stone clock dials and a decorative gold coronet above the west dial.

The problem of lead theft can be a huge source of distress and damage but there are alternatives. Over the long-term, metal roofing is the most cost effective - a typical metal roof can last over 100 years whereas other roofing materials need to be replaced, sometimes more than once, during that time.

Minimum maintenance

A properly installed copper, stainless steel or zinc roof is a once-and-once-only job, with little or no maintenance required. Copper and zinc gradually develop a durable patina, which reforms if damaged, while stainless steel is inherently resistant to corrosion. No chemicals are needed – the roof is resistant to decay and naturally fire proof.

The Lead Sheet Association has been developing and running successful training and qualification initiatives for many years to help ensure that standards of leadwork are high across the construction industry.

As well as delivering courses at its Training Centre in East Peckham, Kent, the LSA has also been working in collaboration with the Lead Contractors’ Association to set up the Leadworker Register.

Why create a Register?

One of the reasons the LSA felt the creation of the Leadworker Register was important was for many years it has been asked by a range of people to provide details of competent leadworkers. It felt the fairest way to do this was through a Register which is transparent and allows contractors, specifiers, architects and others in the construction industry to find the level of skills needed for the job in hand.

As part of the Wigan Town Hall refurbishment, restoration specialists Darwen Terracotta and Faience have manufactured and supplied 110 replacement bespoke terracotta pieces. Designed by local architects Nuttall and Cooke, the grade II listed Town Hall has been part of the street scene since 1867. It has now been restored to its former glory, with the new terracotta elements installed by expert restoration contractors Stone Central (NW) Ltd.