North East & Yorkshire

Roofers to the rescue!

Rowan School , Sheffield

 Rowan School in Sheffield is set for a warm festive season this year due to their roofs being repaired and replaced.

The school is formed from a 1970s structure with a central flat roof, and is surrounded by a large area of pitched glazing.

 The glazing was leaking, poorly insulated and made the classrooms underneath extremely hot and uncomfortable on sunny days. Local roofing company Martin-Brooks has worked on the project to establish an improved learning environment for pupils and upgrade the buildings energy efficiency.

 Martin-Brooks replaced the roof felt and swapped the glazed elevations for a new, fully insulated slate covering with Velux skylights. This will retain heat in cold weather, yet still offer ventilation in the summer.

 The project work required the firm to coordinate numerous trades, including plasterers and joiners, whilst keeping the building secure and watertight throughout the project. Nick Brooks, Martin-Brooks director, said:

Removing such a large area of roof is a major challenge on any building, but our roofers and subcontractors worked quickly and efficiently at Rowan School, enabling us to keep disruption to a minimum.

Rowan School , Sheffield

Securing this contract allowed us to see firsthand what an important role the organisation plays in the local community and it is a pleasure to know our efforts will have such a positive impact on the day to day lives of its children and teachers.”

 Rowan School is based in the Dore area of the city and caters for children with complex speech, language and communication difficulties. Pupils range from four to 11 years old and many have autistic spectrum disorders. The difficulties that pupils face can range from delayed motor skills development, sensory difficulties, emotional and behavioural difficulties; such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to issues with developing social and communication skills.

 Martin-Brooks is closely linked with the school having chosen it as one of the nine charities it supports as part of its 25th anniversary fundraising challenge. The company has pledged to raise £25,000 for local causes. The firm held a special presentation lunch at its Darnall-based headquarters to hand over another £5,000 from its 25th anniversary fund to six of its nominated local charities.

 So far the firm has already donated to Cavendish Cancer Care, St Vincent’s Furniture Scheme, Sheffield Talking News, The Rowan School, Catcliffe MS Therapy Centre, Amy’s Retreat, Norfolk Park Special School, Sheffield Institute Foundation’s motor neurone research centre, Rowan School and Help for Heroes.

 The roofing company was formed in 1984 by Gerald Brooks and Jeremy Martin and caters for the commercial and domestic sectors. Based in Yorkshire, it began as a family business and has continued to expand ever since its creation.

The company specialise in heritage refurbishment projects and recently performed planned repairs at Nottingham Castle. Several roofs at Nottingham Castle required Martin-Brooks’ attention. Lead repairs were carried out to the 17th century grade I structure, along with maintenance to slates and cast wired roof lights.

Rowan School , Sheffield

Martin-Brooks has achieved the status as one of the region’s most respected roofing firms after winning a top industry honour for a sixth consecutive year. The firm received a gold Safety in Roofing Award from the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) in recognition of its first class health and safety practices.

Nick Brooks, Martin-Brooks’ director, collected the firm’s gold award at the NFRC’s Yorkshire and North East region annual general meeting. 

He said:

We are very proud of our health and safety record and we work hard to retain the high standards our clients and domestic customers have come to expect. To have our efforts recognised once again by the NFRC not only demonstrates the quality and reliability of our services, but also the skills and professionalism of our dedicated roofers.”

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