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Creating a ‘church without walls’
St Hilary’s Church in Killay, Swansea has seen its services transformed by technology thanks to the expertise of audio-visual integrator, Vaughan Sound.
The worship venue is located around three miles west of Swansea city centre and forms part of the Gower Ministry Area – a community of 20 Anglican churches in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon.
Vaughan Sound was approached by the parish as they sought a new live streaming solution for St. Hilary’s Church that would be ‘very simple to operate’. The primary goal was to broadcast services on their new YouTube channel, to bolster a core aim of the parish in creating a ‘church without walls’.
Now you can have the aesthetic of clay within a cladding system
FabSpeed, a Michelmersh Group brand, has introduced its CMS40 façade system, in collaboration with fellow industry leaders Cladmate Façade Systems.
CMS40 is a lightweight, easy-to-install, cost-effective system that integrates mechanically fixed, non-combustible brick slips into façades to offer the beautiful clay aesthetic that we all know and love. It is suitable for a range of construction projects – from volume high or low-rise or single new build projects to retrofit applications – and can be applied to both indoor and outdoor façades. By seamlessly blending traditional brickwork aesthetics with advanced rainscreen cladding solutions, CMS40 sets a new standard in architectural versatility and performance.
Read more: Now you can have the aesthetic of clay within a cladding system
A successful AV system design starts with an informed customer
It’s fair to say that, when it comes to the world of AV, it is easy to become quickly overwhelmed by the often-complex jargon that is prominent throughout the industry. APi Sound and Visual, specialist audio-visual installers for the church and heritage markets, want to ensure customers can access information they understand. No technical language, no in-depth explanations of the internal workings of equipment, just straightforward answers of what something is, what it does and why it is important (or not).
Read more: A successful AV system design starts with an informed customer
Churches and Chapels across Yorkshire throwing open their doors for ‘Yorkshire Churches Day’
Hundreds of places of worship across the region are gearing up to welcome visitors for Yorkshire Churches Day, taking place on Saturday 14 September. Yorkshire’s churches are treasure troves full of amazing history and heritage and Yorkshire Churches Day is a chance encourage visitors both new and old to discover what’s behind their doors.
Churches from all corners of the County will be opening up, offering tours, refreshments, music, exhibitions and treasure hunts for visitors to enjoy. Many are joining together to put on trails between a number of churches for those looking for a fun day out.
Celebrating 40 years of Cadw: caring for our precious heritage, discovery and learning
This year marks a significant milestone for Cadw as it celebrates its 40th anniversary and continues on its mission to care for Wales’ historic places while inspiring current and future generations to connect with the nation’s rich cultural heritage.
Since it was established in 1984, Cadw has welcomed over 50 million visitors from across the UK and the world to its historic monuments in Wales. There are now over 30,000 listed historic buildings, over 4,200 protected historic monuments, nearly 400 registered historic parks and gardens, and four World Heritage sites.
Read more: Celebrating 40 years of Cadw: caring for our precious heritage, discovery and learning
Listed church connects old to new with glass link
Grade II listed, the church of St John the Evangelist in Manthorpe has been transformed with the addition of a new community hall. An innovative full height glass link connects the church to the new hall, interfacing with a glass rooflight that extends the full length of the building, flooding the space below with natural daylight.
Like all our bespoke glass installations the result is deceptively simple, with minimal fixings and a flawless result with no indication of the technical challenges involved.
Read more: Listed church connects old to new with glass link
Important CSCS Card update from NCTS
Part of the Construction Leadership Council’s drive for a fully trained and competent workforce, the Industry Accreditation CSCS cards, which were issued through the Grandfather Rights period from 1st Jan 2020 will expire on 31st December 2024. Please note the current CSCS cards cannot be renewed.
Anyone who was issued with a CSCS card during that process, will have to consider renewing now to allow enough time to complete a formal assessment.
Heritage-friendly basement waterproofing: what the Romans did for us
The heritage-friendly waterproofing of basements and cellars sited partially or fully underground, and subject to on-going moisture problems, can come with significant technical challenges. The primary challenge is how to keep water out of the building without causing long-term damage to the building fabric.
Read more: Heritage-friendly basement waterproofing: what the Romans did for us
ISCVE announces ISCVEx 2025 Exhibition and Seminar Event
It's the event all professionals in the Sound, Communications and AV industry should attend, the ISCVEx 2025 Exhibition and Seminar Event, organised by the Institute of Sound, Communication and Visual Engineers (ISCVE), taking place on 25-26 March 2025, at the prestigious Coombe Abbey Hotel.
This two-day industry event brings together experts, manufacturers, and installers to showcase the latest technologies and innovations in the industry.
Read more: ISCVE announces ISCVEx 2025 Exhibition and Seminar Event
Why video surveillance on scaffolding matters
Churches are more than just places of worship: they often serve as community centres, historical landmarks and even home to valuable artwork and artifacts. When scaffolding is erected for maintenance or restoration projects, the vulnerable structures require an extra layer of security. That is where having a video surveillance system monitoring the scaffolding and the building becomes an important deterrent to crime.
There have been some high-profile examples of scaffolding being used to access churches for vandalism:
ICS Furniture completes chair installation in Belfast Cathedral
Also known as the Cathedral Church of St. Anne, Belfast Cathedral is a Church of Ireland Cathedral and is the focal point of Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. Their old seating was 120 years old and were not stackable. The church required a chair that allowed for the flexibility and comfort that the older seating did not provide.
Read more: ICS Furniture completes chair installation in Belfast Cathedral
Works of art: value beyond structure
Fine art consultant Patrick Bowen uses his experience in valuing stained glass to propose a new appreciation of its true value – both financially and artistically
In a recent issue of Ecclesiastical and Heritage World (No 97) I drew attention to the possibility of a ‘grey area’ between a structural aspect of a building and a chattel which may be considered as movable property. It is an area of concern to all building surveyors and chattel surveyors.
Stockport tree surgeon faces a challenge at Mellor Church
Stockport’s local tree surgeons, Myers Tree Care, are often presented with an unusual challenge. On this occasion, they were approached by the bell ringers of St Thomas’s Church at Mellor to see if they could assist in the scheduled maintenance of the clock face.
As a school governor at Mellor School, tree surgeon David Myers was teamed up with the headmaster, Jim Nicholson, and between them took on the challenge with both hands!
Read more: Stockport tree surgeon faces a challenge at Mellor Church
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