Follow safety advice when using ladders – or you could descend into chaos

When working with ladders in churches or old buildings – which often have high ceilings and hard-to-reach places – it’s essential to follow safety guidelines, to prevent accidents and ensure the well-being of those involved. There are some key points to consider.

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Parker & Son restores church ceiling to former glory

Parker & Son has completed the challenging task of repainting the seven-metre high ceiling of a Grade II* listed church in Northiam, East Sussex.

The restoration work was made possible thanks to a legacy and a generous donation by a member of the congregation. Special, breathable paint was sourced to match the original blue paint as closely as possible. All work and materials had to be approved by the Diocese and Advisory Committee.

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Pioneering tiling restorer just keeps adding to his achievements

Steve Sinnott can be said to be a man with a mission. That mission is to restore as many historic tiled floors and walls as he can, whether they are listed or not: so they can be viewed and enjoyed once more – by their owners in the case of private residences or by the general public in the case of the many public buildings he has worked on.

Steve began his working life as a stone carver, but a contract that had a badly damaged marble mosaic floor changed his life. It took him nearly three years to restore that floor, involving the cutting of almost one million cubes, or tesserae. It proved to be Steve’s epiphany. Before long he had travelled to other countries to restore mosaic floors, but soon specialised in Victorian encaustic and geometric tile restoration. Encaustic tiles revolutionised tiled flooring by allowing several colours to be included in one tile. The resulting patterns epitomised Victorian tiled floors.

Read more: Pioneering tiling restorer just keeps adding to his achievements

What is a new audio-visual system going to cost me?

Stephen Neath of APi Communications, addresses a thorny question.

Church and heritage buildings require constant maintenance and upkeep, which can make it hard to budget for a new audio-visual system.

Part of the reason it can be so hard to prepare for the outlay is that pricing information is not readily available. So, as we celebrate the 21st anniversary of the beginning of our journey in providing bespoke AV systems for all our customers, we will try to answer the question: what does a new AV system cost?

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Magdalen College tower regains 16th-century lustre

Conservation specialist Peter Meehan ACR relates the story of the restoration of a storm damaged pinnacle in Oxford

Magdalen College is part of the University of Oxford and is located in the centre of the city to the east of the river Cherwell, with the Great Tower – also known as Magdalen Tower – sitting next to the High Street. The tower is an iconic piece of the college’s architecture and is currently listed Grade One by Historic England as part of what is known as the ‘Range’.

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Summer proves the ideal time to replace church boilers

The Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels in Tettenhall Regis, Wolverhampton looks at first sight to be a traditional listed church building. It is sited in one of two manors in Tettenhall parish, the other being Tettenhall Clericorum.

It is indeed Grade Two listed. But that belies a secret. In 1950 a terrible fire virtually destroyed the old church, leaving only the 16th-century tower and Victorian porch standing.

The church was rebuilt between the two extremities, in the modern Gothic style, creating a delightful hybrid of ancient and modern, which was consecrated in April 1955.

Read more: Summer proves the ideal time to replace church boilers

York Handmade wins major award at the brick oscars

The York Handmade Brick Company, one of the leading independent brickmakers in the country, has won a major honour in the prestigious 2024 Brick Awards.

York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, in North Yorkshire, triumphed in the Craftsmanship category for the company’s work on 5 St Frederick’s Place in the heart of City of London.

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Exhibitors enthuse over the CRE experience

By 4pm on the first day of CRE 24 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, exhibitors Chris and Kim Dunphy had already had so many helpful and detailed conversations with visitors that they were “completely talked out”.

Chris, founder of ChurchEcoMiser, will now make several site visits to churches over the next few months – introducing them to the company’s eco-friendly heating system. In spite of two long days interacting with hundreds of visitors, Chris and Kim – along with more than 60 other organisations – have already booked their stand at CRE 25, taking place on 15-16 October at Sandown Park in Surrey.

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Christmas services need great music!

Finding good, reliable organists or musicians for church services is becoming increasingly difficult for churches of all denominations. The Hymnal Plus is the ultimate worship music solution - an ideal digital hymnal system to fill the gap for those who have no instrument or simply want good traditional digital church music.

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Trust gives grants to 12 Yorkshire churches

Twelve churches from across Yorkshire are celebrating this month after receiving just under £80,000 from the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, a charity that helps churches in Yorkshire to preserve and repair their buildings through offering grants for repairs and maintenance.

The funding was awarded to a range of church and chapels from all corners of the region, from Hornsea to Halifax and Leyburn to Bradford, and included Methodist chapels, United Reformed and Church of England churches.

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Sightseeing from height in Brighton

One of the most famous and breathtaking locations to visit in Brighton is the landmark St Bartholomew’s Church. Known for its Gothic Revival architecture, the church was built between 1872 and 1874 and is one of the tallest churches in England.

Despite its simplicity, the interior’s vast open space is awe-inspiring. The church features a large pipe organ and several stained glass windows. St Bartholomew’s is a Grade One-listed building, marking its exceptional historical and architectural significance.

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Get noticed – with stylish boards that are environmentally friendly

One of the UK’s leading UK notice board manufacturers is Greenbarnes. They have an innovative yet traditional approach to delivering quality noticeboards, signage and street furniture. In 1990 they became the first company to revive the manufacture of wooden village boards, establishing themselves as a pioneer in transforming the industry into what it is today.

Catering to an ever-expanding market, the company offers a wide range of boards, both standard designs and custom-built. All are available to order at www.greenbarnes.co.uk. The site is interactive, allowing visitors to choose from a range of features available to select digitally and add to baskets or wishlists.

Read more: Get noticed – with stylish boards that are environmentally friendly