In October we revealed that Christian Resources Exhibitions (CRE) had been sold by Bible Society to a new owner headed up by its former media consultant Stephen Goddard.

In December Stephen introduced the new team, stating: “Last May the Bible Society decided to focus on its core mission of offering The Bible to the world and purposed to find a new home for CRE or close it down.

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.

Oakham Castle, one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in the UK, has undergone a major renovation, thanks to a £2.1 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. As part of the project, BJ Waller sourced and supplied architectural ironmongery to complement the history and grandeur of the historical castle, within a tight timescale.

Working closely with John Wright of Weston Allison Wright, BJ Waller produced an ironmongery schedule for high-end Frank Allart door furniture. The door furniture supplied was in unlacquered polished brass that slotted perfectly in with the aesthetics of the historical castle.

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.

The installation of the new Hope Window at Manchester Cathedral is now complete. In December 2016, the new Hope Window was dedicated at the east end of the Cathedral, where the Humphrey Chetham statue sits.

It is a modern design, by Alan Davis, in-keeping with the existing Antony Hollaway, Margaret Traherne and Linda Walton windows. The concept for the new east window revolves around the themes of hope and new life.

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.

Leading British lead sheet manufacturer Midland Lead is set to announce a newly awarded 25-year guarantee on its sandcast lead from the Lead Contractors Association (LCA), at this year’s Ecobuild.

The company will be on stand C129 to discuss the new guarantee throughout the event, running from 7-9 March at Excel London.

Thanks to the new guarantee, Midland Lead – the UK’s only lead manufacturer to offer a complete range of lead sheet options, including sandcast, machine cast and rolled lead – is now able to offer a guarantee across all three of its lead sheet types.

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.

Every year and sometimes bi-annually, grants are made available for churches and listed buildings. The funding is available for restoration and repair.

Your church may require funding for repair and restoration of such things as:

Rainclear pride themselves on offering the very best customer service and a wider choice of sizes, profiles and colours with Next Day delivery - so they have not only increased their stock ranges considerably over the past 12 months but have also, in response to requests, added a few useful accessories to the stylish and affordable Galvanised Steel Rainwater range, for example: -

Yorkshire-based Bygone Times, who specialise in antique clock restoration and repairs, recently undertook a repair project at the Grade II listed St Wilfrid's Church in Scrooby, Northamptonshire.

The next closing date for ChurchCare Grants for the conservation of books and manuscripts is Monday 22 May 2017 and applications will be considered from anglican churches in England.

Historical books and manuscripts, when in the care of the parish, are eligible for grant aid. Modern printed books cannot be considered.

The Crompton & Shaw Memorial was commissioned by the Crompton War Memorial Committee in 1919 and the bronze statue was made to a design by Richard Reginald Goulden. It sits on a granite plinth and depicts a male figure protecting children from marauding creatures. Today the Memorial is Grade II Listed.

Heritage Project Contracts was appointed by Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council to undertake conservation work to the Memorial. It had been previously restored in the 1970’s when the original dark patina had been removed by abrasive means during treatment. The previous work was beginning to fail with corrosion occurring to the bronze beneath.

Rainclear Systems, the UK’s leading online retailer and stockist of metal rainwater systems would like to wish everyone a happy new year in 2017 with an extra 10% off all its rainwater systems.

Rainclear already offer to help with a take-off service from your architect drawings, ensuring you purchase all the right components at the right capacity for your home and the level of rainfall in your location.

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.

On November 10th the Brick Development Association hosted the prestigious 40th Brick Awards ceremony which entailed a special accent of glamour for the ruby celebration that rewards exemplary brick design and construction. Michelmersh had yet another successful year, grasping the accolade of Architect’s Choice award for the Whitty Theatre designed by van Heyningen and Haward Architects.

Niamh Cronin, Project Architect at van Heyningen and Haward Architects, said: “The volume of the auditorium at the Whitty Theatre is expressed in brick both externally and internally. We looked at dozens of bricks to find the right colour and texture appropriate for the heritage setting of the School’s grade II listed house as well as a brick that would create a warm and intimate atmosphere within the theatre auditorium. As we could not find a standard brick to meet our requirements, a bespoke Luckley mix from the Freshfield Lane Synthesis range was created especially for the project. The building sits elegantly within its context, and creates a state of the art theatre for students and the local community. It has been a fantastic project to work on, and winning a brick award for the project is an honour to be proud of.”