March 2002
DIY can seriously damage your wallet
Easter is the traditional time for householders to tidy up their gardens and do a few home improvements. Garden centres will be packed with budding Alan Titchmarshes and the DIY stores will be jammed with 'make-over' enthusiasts who are determined to turn their semi into a scaled down version of Buckingham Palace.It looks so simple on the television programmes, so why not have a go? Just think of all the money you will save...or will you?
Unfortunately, not everyone is skilled enough to carry out the jobs they attempt to do and end up paying a professional to put everything right. Some jobs should never be tackled by the householder - plumbing is a good example. It's one thing to change a washer on a tap, but to plumb-in a bathroom suite or central heating system is something else. Just consider the damage that can be caused by water leaking through the ceiling: furnishings could be ruined and if it is bad enough the ceiling itself could collapse. Not everyone has accidental damage cover on their household insurance, which means the entire cost of putting it right is down to the householder.
Also you could be in breach of Water or Building Regulations. This would have a knock-on effect if you wanted to sell your property. So at the end of the day, DIY could turn out to be a very expensive hobby.
If you want to improve your home by revamping the bathroom or creating a downstairs cloakroom, call in a professional plumber. Contact the Institute of Plumbing on 01708 472791, email info@plumbers.org.uk or visit www.registeredplumber.com for a list of Registered Plumbers in your area.
ENDS
MARCH 2002
APPROX 280 WORDS
Britain's Favourite Plumber 2002 Announced
A Lancashire plumber has triumphed over contenders from across the UK to take the 2002 Britain's Favourite Plumber Award. The announcement today that 35 year old Derek Niven, from Clitheroe, has clinched the top title follows a six month search by the Institute of Plumbing.
The awards are run every three years and are designed to recognise the skills of the very best professionals and highlight to the consumer the importance of health and safety in plumbing.Contenders must first be nominated by their customers before going through progressively rigorous judging stages to determine first county winners, then six area winners, and finally the holder of the national title.
Judges were drawn from among the UK's major plumbing associations, the companies supporting the awards (Hepworth Plumbing Products, Wavin Plastics, Worcester Heat Systems and Yellow Pages) and the National Consumer Federation. Some 1,000 plumbers were nominated this year.
Derek Niven began has career through a YTS scheme, initially working in engineering, and has subsequently combined practical experience with university study to develop his skills.
He has worked for much of his career with Whalley based Calder Services (Lancashire) Ltd, which he joined as an apprentice, later gaining City & Guilds Craft, Advanced Craft and Supervisor qualifications. Remaining at the company, he studied for the Higher National Certificate in Building Services on a day release basis at Salford University, one of the country's prime universities for construction related courses. He also holds qualifications for gas (ACOPS) and oil (OFTEC) heating system installation. He is currently a Senior Field Service Technician with Calder Services.
The Award's three year cycle coincides with the timing of the World Plumbing Conference. Derek will travel to the conference in Berlin in May as part of his award.
Derek is the third plumber from the North West to take the title which was won in 1992 by George Wingfield of Chester and in 1998 by Christopher Jones, also from Chester.
Derek won the North West Area Award prior to going through to the final. This year's other area winners are: Ian Scannell of Glasgow, who receives the Scotland award; Mario Martin from Leeds, who takes the North East accolade; Ian Herring from Swindon, South West Area winner; David Clifford from Bromsgrove, Midlands Area winner; and Gary Butterfield of Emsworth, Hampshire, South East Area winner.
ENDS
MARCH 2002
Committed to lifelong learning
For the second year running, the President's Dinner took place at the Café Royal, London on 6th March. Tony Kite IEng FIOP RP, Institute of Plumbing President for 2001/2002 hosted the event.Around 38 guests attended, including the Presidents of NAPT, SNIPEF, HVCA, APHC and the Institute of Clerk of Works. The President elect of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers was also present, along with the Chief Executives of CIBSE, The Institute of Energy, Institution of Incorporated Engineers and Trading Standards Institute. There were other leading figures from industry and government, including the Chairman of the Plumbing and Heating Industry Alliance. The Master of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers was also present.
After the meal, Tony Kite outlined the highlights of the Annual Report, which included a review of the year. The main points were:- The formation of the Plumbing and Heating Industry Alliance.
- A successful 5-yearly audit by the Engineering Council.
- Further development of a Technical Services Board.
- Preparing for a new edition of the Plumbing Engineering Services Design Guide to be published this year.
- Numerous local seminars to explain the Institute's Water Regulations Approved Contractor Person scheme.A highly successful Annual Conference at Stratford-upon-Avon.
- Launch of the Master Plumber Certificate Award.
"Bodies such as the Institute and others represented here tonight are made up of properly qualified individuals who look to us to help them with their personal and professional development. If we want to be regarded as a true "professional" in the individual sense, we need to ensure that the development of our skills, knowledge and expertise is a continuing process..."
The President talked about the importance of belonging to bodies, such as the Institute and the others represented at the Dinner.
"With the standards of behaviour in politics and business at an all time low, our challenge is to encourage members of our respective organisations to rise above the rest and say, "I'm proud to belong and will do my level best to perform properly". We can ask for no more."
Tony Kite rounded off his speech on a personal note. He thanked everyone for their support over the last eight months, giving a special mention to his work colleagues.
ENDS
MARCH 2002
(APPROX 400 WORDS)