Providing a fire system for the most sacred site in Scotland was always going to be a challenge, especially considering the remoteness of its historic location, but for the custodians of Iona Abbey global fire systems manufacturer Advanced was the only choice.

Located on the Scottish island of Iona, south west of the Isle of Mull, the Abbey is at the heart of a globally important religious centre, founded in 564AD by St Columba who brought early Christianity from Ireland to Great Britain.

The company will now be known as Stone Technical Services Group which will incorporate its four divisions: -STS Lightning Protection, STS Restoration, STS Maintenance and Facilities Management and STS Conservation .

The new brand name will allow for effective expansion and the ongoing diversification of the business, making best use of its growing teams’ areas of expertise.

Managers at Stone reported a successful 2013 with turnover steadily growing to over £2 million. Five new jobs were created, taking staff numbers to 35. The company hopes to create around six new jobs in 2014 and boost turnover by around 30%.

The Government announced changes to the scope and operation of the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme, these changes came into effect on 1 October 2013. From this date, works to pipe organs, turret clocks, bells and bell ropes are eligible for claims under the scheme. Professional services directly related to eligible building work such as architect fees are also eligible.

Also from 1 October 2013, applications to make use of the scheme are accepted from religious or charitable groups whose principal or primary purpose is to conserve, repair and maintain redundant listed places of worship are not in private ownership.

To combat the rise in unqualified companies testing lightning protection systems, the Association of Technical Lightning and Access Specialists (ATLAS) has launched the Inspect and Protect Campaign to promote the importance of using a fully trained Specialist Contractor for annual systems testing.

To comply with the current British Standard, the majority of buildings should have their lightning protection system tested every year.

The application to demolish the historic Ancoats Dispensary has been withdrawn by the owner Urban Splash.

The Grade II-listed building has been the focus of an intense campaign of local people, led by the Save Ancoats Dispensary Group, to resist demolition. An application to knock it down had been brought before Manchester City Council’s Planning Committee but this has now been withdrawn.

When the Victorian middle class spread into the suburbs and villages they built an impressive number of churches, many of which have been celebrating their 150th anniversary.

St Michael's at Tilehurst, in Reading, was one of these, having been remodelled and enlarged by George Edmund Street in 1855.

An 18th Century church in Manchester has recently undergone extensive repairs to its roof, which included reintroducing leadwork as originally designed.

The main roof had been problematical for a number of years. The roof, at 16 degrees, was too shallow and never intended for a slate finish. The parapet gutters and lead covered apse roof had bays of lead that were excessive in length with step joints averaging only 20mm. The church had been experiencing leaks for a number of years.

Focus Consultants and architects, Purcell have been appointed to draw up designs for a multi-million pound heritage museum and learning centre dedicated to aerospace.

The Bristol Aerospace Centre will create a permanent home for Concorde and will also feature refurbished, listed World War One aircraft hangars, which will be transformed into a first-class heritage museum, learning suites, archives and workshops.

The Churches Conservation Trust are pleased to have helped a young couple in the Lake District to find and purchase a church that they will turn into their home in one of the most expensive property hot spots in England.

The CCT have owned St John the Baptist since 1993. The church is unlisted so they decided to seek an alternative use for it to help secure its future. In collaboration with locals, the Regeneration Taskforce identified the lack of housing for young people as a key issue in the area. High house prices coupled with a lack of suitable land on which to build affordable housing has led to many young people leaving the area.

A stunning Victorian conservatory at Wentworth Castle in Stainborough near Barnsley, one of the finest examples of its kind anywhere, has been painstakingly and faithfully restored to its former glory.

William Anelay Ltd, a building firm established in 1747, was charged with the task of delivering a complex 12 month project, in conjunction with architects Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams that involved the complete restoration of the conservatory and the construction of an adjoining new build extension with visitor area, shop and cafe facilities.

DRU Verwarming BV, which is a leading European manufacturer of contemporary gas and wood burning fires, has announced that its wood fires and stoves have been re-branded as DG Fires in the UK.

DRU acquired the famous Dutch wood stove company Dik Geurts back in 2007. Since then, the production of all Dik Geurts products has been moved to DRU’s central factory at Duiven in the Netherlands, including the development of new models specially designed for the UK fireplace market.

The Steeplejack and Lightning Protection Training Group (SLPTG) Apprentice Awards which recognise the achievements of apprentices in the sector were presented at the National Construction College (NCC) - East on 12 December 2013. There were 12 awards chosen by NCC instructors, including Best Academic Achievement, Best Technical Application (Lightning Conductor) and Highest Attention to Safety (Steeplejack), for those apprentices who excelled during their 2-year training.

In November it was announced that the King of Prussia’s Gold Medal for 2013 has been awarded to John Bailey of Thomas Ford & Partners, for the project to preserve and repair All Saints’ Church at Westbere in Kent.

A Darlington specialist repair and maintenance business has secured in the region of £200,000 worth of new contracts around the North East.

Stone Technical Services, experts in the fields of high level, historic and general maintenance, is working on a variety of contracts across its home region.

The renovation of a historic period house can be a challenging and rewarding, but also a heartbreaking experience, particularly when you see your ‘labour of love’ burn down and have to start the whole restoration process again.

A stunning waterside property in the village of Crakehall near Bedale, North Yorkshire, has been fitted with an innovative water source heat pump system which generates its energy from Bedale Beck.