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Posted in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Cleaning Services, Disposals & Waste Removal, Electrical Work, Gardening & Landscaping, General Building, Handyman Services, Kitchen Fitting, Locksmith, Moving Homes & Hauliers, Other Craftsman Services, Painting & Decorating, Planning & Consulting, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Heating & Gas, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage, Tiling & Flooring, Window & Door Fitting on Oct 16
 The insurance company Aviva recently conducted a survey amongst their clients which dispelled the myth that “White Van Man” was no more than an urban thug.
Tradesmen in London are the smartest, sexiest and most successful drivers on the road their research showed, with over 70% having an interest in politics and current affairs.
Smart Tradesmen in London
Over half of the white van drivers surveyed said that they regularly read books, compared to one-in-ten sports car owners.
Sexy Tradesmen in London
Most of the white van drivers questioned responded that they like to keep themselves in shape and pursued some form of outdoor leisure activity.
Successful Tradesmen in London
Half of all van drivers were the boss of their own business, as compared to 83% of sports car drivers who work for someone else.
Nigel Bartram, motoring expert at Aviva, who carried out the survey, said: “It’s great to prove what we already knew – van drivers are switched on and enterprising! Gone are the days of the traditional white van man stereotype. What our research shows is that van drivers are entrepreneurial and responsible. This is why we have tailored direct motor insurance to cater for the 21st century van driver.”
With half of van drivers opting to fix household appliances when they break rather than ask for help, they are also the handiest to have at home. After a hard day’s work, a tradesman in London is more likely to catch a news bulletin or documentary than anything else on the box and, out of all drivers questioned, is the least likely to watch reality TV.
Sofeminine.co.uk added a female perspective to the results of the survey with the comment that “A white van driver may not be so likely to have a degree, but he has a big package” – So much for stereotypes!
For a deeper look into the psyche of a white van driver tradesman in London, visit the Social Issue Research Centre web site, who produced a quite eye-opening and humorous insight into this social phenomenon, and concluded that in order to change their image, tradesmen in London should paint their vans a different colour!
Tags: Find a Tradesman in London, insurance, Research, Social Issues, Survey, Tradesmen´s Directory, transit van, Van Driver
Posted in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Cleaning Services, Disposals & Waste Removal, Electrical Work, Gardening & Landscaping, General Building, Handyman Services, Kitchen Fitting, Locksmith, Moving Homes & Hauliers, Other Craftsman Services, Painting & Decorating, Planning & Consulting, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Heating & Gas, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage, Tiling & Flooring, Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
 Nearly half a million pounds of lottery funding has been allocated to support Age Concern´s “Men in Sheds” scheme, a program aimed at supporting men over the age of 55 who have been affected by life-changing events – such as bereavement and redundancy – and providing an opportunity to socialise and learn practical skills from each other in a supportive environment.
A pilot scheme, launched earlier this year in Cheshire, was based on the Australian model “Mensheds”, which has received worldwide acclaim for its innovation and the value to over-55´s of integrating back into the community after a major trauma in their lives.
John Standing from the scheme has said that men over the age of 55 are welcome to work on projects at the charities warehouse. “They make things and share resources and skills to help each other. It is also a great way for them to access other services which may be useful to them”.
Alex Major of Age Concern Cheshire highlighted the need for more projects involving older men: ‘There are a lot of projects for older people, but they mainly appeal to women and men can feel left out.’ The pilot project had 20 members who helped the charity in the area with jobs such as repairing furniture and minor DIY tasks. Ken Clemens, also of Age Concern Cheshire, said: ‘The atmosphere in the shed is very informal with men coming together to do activities such as wood working, producing items that are sold to help support the work of the shed – or just to socialise and share time with other men.’
Initially, the scheme in Greenwich is the only one planned for the immediate future in the London area, but Age Concern are monitoring the success of “Men in Sheds” and hoping it can be spread nationwide in the near future.
If you are a retired handyman in South London and would like to learn more about the scheme, details are expected to be posted soon on the News pages of the Age Concern web site, or you can call Age Concern Greenwich on 08452 707 507
Tags: Age Concern, AgeUK, DIY, find a handyman in London, Handyman Services, Lottery funding, Sheds, Tradesmen´s Directory
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping, General Building, Handyman Services, Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
Posted in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Cleaning Services, Disposals & Waste Removal, Electrical Work, Gardening & Landscaping, General Building, Handyman Services, Kitchen Fitting, Locksmith, Moving Homes & Hauliers, News, Other Craftsman Services, Painting & Decorating, Planning & Consulting, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Heating & Gas, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage, Tiling & Flooring, Window & Door Fitting on Oct 16
 The cost of DIY bodge-ups according to the Clydesdale Bank Research from the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks has revealed that bodged DIY jobs in the home cost homeowners £235 million to put right last year.
The recent survey was conducted amongst two thousand of the banks´ customers and showed that over a quarter had experienced a DIY disaster within the past twelve months.
With one in ten respondents having to pay up to £500 to get their mistakes fixed, a spokesman for the Clydesdale Bank commented that while DIY may be a great way to save money, it is important to have the correct tools and right set of skills to avoid a job around the home becoming a very expensive exercise.
The bank estimates that nearly 5 million people across the country ended up paying for DIY mistakes after they attempted to do DIY jobs such as decorating, plumbing or gardening. Instead of wishing you had never started a job that is ultimately going to cost you a lot of money, why not consult Mr Skill´s Tradesmen’s Directory and benefit from the financial advantages of using a London tradesman.
Tags: decorating, DIY, Find a Tradesman in London, fix, Home Improvements, Home Maintenance, Mr Skill, Plumbing, tools, Tradesmen´s Directory
Posted in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Cleaning Services, Disposals & Waste Removal, Electrical Work, Gardening & Landscaping, General Building, Handyman Services, Kitchen Fitting, Locksmith, Moving Homes & Hauliers, News, Other Craftsman Services, Painting & Decorating, Planning & Consulting, Plastering & Drywall, Plumbing, Heating & Gas, Roofing, Gutters & Drainage, Tiling & Flooring, Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
 A neat, well tended lawn is a great pleasure to every keen gardener as well too.
There is increasing awareness of the damage that we cause to the environment when we pump chemicals into the soil and spray poisons in the air. A gardener should not be surprised when their lawn ceases to flourish after they have destroyed all of Mother Nature’s healing systems. Stop using anything with the label “keep away from children and from pets”, and create a perfectly organic lawn that is sustainable too. If you have the time to do this yourself then you will not need to find a gardener – if you are too busy, then keep your eye on the ball and get gardener quotes from Mr-Skill.
o First, analyze your soil by sending several samples taken at different places to a laboratory for analysis Soil low in calcium needs a gypsum top-dressing, while it will require a chemical called langbeinite if it needs a magnesium boost.
o Once you know what is required, mow your grass to a height of approximately two inches tall. Get rid of all the weeds and dead growth, and aerate it too. Now your lawn is ready to absorb its special treatment.
o Apply the treatment recommended by the lab, followed by a half-inch thick layer of compost. Gardeners working in London insist on using natural organic compost, that is free of chemicals that can linger. They sometimes also spray on a tea-like infusion of compost from time to time. Your lawn will benefit from the application of an organic fertilizer too, such as contains natural ingredients including seaweed for potassium, bone meal for phosphorous, and feather meal for nitrogen as well.
o As your grass sprouts afresh and thickens out, you will note a greener hue, and less weeds as well, as it strangles them. You can encourage bald spots to close quicker by seeding them with an appropriate turf.
Keep your increasingly handsome lawn lightly watered and well mowed. You will soon be wondering why you did not garden like this before.
 A neat, well tended lawn is indeed a great pleasure to every keen gardener and their friends too.
Tags: aerate, analyze, bonemeal, calcium, children, compost, environment, find a gardener, find a landscaper, gardener, gardener quotes, gardeners london, gypsum, laboratory, landscaper quotes, landscapers london, mow, mowed, organic, organic gardening, organic lawn, pets, phosphorus., poison, potassium, seed, soil, sustainable, top-dress, water, weeds
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 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has urged gardeners in London not to throw away old and decaying bits of wood, but to use create havens for wildlife and perches for songbirds. The RSPB would also like to see an effort from London gardeners to introduce “stumperies” back into their gardens.
Stumperies are garden features comprising of upturned logs, partially buried in the garden or amongst planters, which subsequently cultivate fungi and colonies of insects. Popular amongst Victorian London gardeners, and a feature of Prince Charles´ garden at Highgrove, stumperies can either comprise of a random pile of logs or an ornate and attractive highlight of one’s garden.
Stumps and cut-off logs are often seen as waste in the garden – too big to use as compost and too small to have any purpose (unless you have a log-burning stove). By incorporating them into your garden beds you add to the appearance of your garden and help preserve London´s wildlife.
If you would like to know more about stumperies, or have a pile of logs that you would like to put to good use, please contact one of the gardeners or local landscapers in London featured in our Tradesmen´s Directory.
Tags: branches, find a gardener, garden waste, Gardening & Landscaping, RSPB, stumperies, trees, wildlife, wood
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 “Capital Growth” is an initiative organised by the London Food Link and supported by the Greater London Authority, aimed at helping gardeners in London get access to land to create successful food growing spaces. Offering practical advice and support to communities throughout Greater London, gardeners have access to grants and discounts to encourage them to cultivate open spaces in their community and grow food crops.
The organisation is currently running an “Edible Estates” competition for housing estates in London, with prizes donated by a number of leading household names for the “Capital Growth” projects making the biggest impact on their communities. They also run a “Green Corners” award program for individuals making the best or most unique use of limited spaces to grow food.
Capital Growth also runs a schools education operation, advising the London gardeners of tomorrow about growing fruit and vegetables and organising competitions between the schools. If you are a gardener in London and would like to find out more about any of the Capital Growth initiatives, please visit their web site – www.capitalgrowth.org
Tags: Capital Growth, Edible Estates, food growing, fruit and vegetables, Gardening & Landscaping, save money
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
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