There’s no better way to unite people than over a slice of delicious cake. And when that cake sale is for a good cause, the impact is even sweeter!
At the beginning of May, we held our first fundraising event for our nominated charity of the year, Mosaic – supporting bereaved children. Whilst the country was building up for the coronation celebration, we got the bunting out, paper plates, napkins and cake stands to host a bake sale fit for a king! From French fancies and lemon drizzle cake to chocolate brownies, coffee & walnut and more, we were spoilt for choice.
Thanks to everyone involved, we raised £150 for Mosaic which would pay for three counselling sessions for children/young people and could include Early Bereavement Intervention (these are for shortly after the death of a loved one), or Pre-Bereavement counselling. It would also pay for three children/young people to attend of the activity days.
To find out more about the work that Mosaic does to support young people and their families, click here.
Just a selection of some of the cakes available on our trade counter.
The award-winning underfloor heating company has several fundraising events planned for the year to help raise vital funds for Mosaic, which are based in Milborne St Andrew, Blandford. The charity was established in 2007 following the identification of a clear gap in the provision for bereaved children in Dorset.
Whilst there was a small amount of support offered to children whose parents were dying of terminal illnesses, there was no support for other causes of death. Mosaic provides support to any young person who has experienced the death of a parent, grandparent, sibling, other close relative, friend or loved one and is finding it difficult to understand and express the overwhelming feeling grief can bring.
Paul Lines UFHN Managing Director says, “To lose a close family member at such a young age has a profound impact and the work that Mosaic does to provide a cohesive framework of support before, during and after the death of a loved one can make a huge difference to young people and their families”.
“All the staff at UFHN will do all we can to help contribute to the counselling sessions, activity days and residential weekends that Mosaic provides to our local community”.
Zoe Minogue Hughes, Mosaic’s Corporate Fundraiser said, “We are thrilled that UFHN has chosen to sponsor and fundraise for Mosaic. As a charity, we rely on generous donations, grants and support from corporate and community work.
“It has been a challenging time for all charities following the pandemic along with the current economic uncertainties, so we are very keen to raise awareness of Mosaic – supporting bereaved children across Dorset – partnering with UFHN will certainly help us do this. It is a privilege to work with so many families at school and in their homes. Our therapists have skills to really make a difference to families we work with to allow children to work through their grief and look forwards”.
In 2020, UFHN won a ‘highly commended’ accolade at the H&V News Awards for our involvement in restoring Bath Abbey. Two years on, Bath Abbey has been awarded a highly commended accolade in the Completed Buildings: Religion category at the World Architecture Festival; and recognised by UNESCO as a site of international importance.
Read our case study to see how we contributed to this inspiring project and enabled it to operate efficiently for years to come.
We’re delighted to see Deer Barn feature in the latest issue of Self Build & Design Magazine which showcases the property’s eco-friendly credentials and tells the story of how the owners took their 13-acre piece of woodland and turned it into a beautiful rural retirement property.
We were chosen by the owners to design, supply and install a MERCURY Atlas underfloor heating system on the property’s ground floor which has been designed to run off-grid in a rural woodland and work in harmony with nature. An existing blockwork barn served as a starting point for the new build with ponds and an ancient lime kiln on the site. It’s a great story, but we don’t want to spoil it so if you can get a copy, it’s definitely worth a read.
We’re seeing a significant increase in low profile installs, mainly using the Mercury Stella underfloor heating system.
There’s no need for screed with this system and by specifying STELLA in your next project, you could save weeks of drying time. Flexibility is also crucial, you can decide to install at the end of the build leaving all other works to be completed first.
Lightweight, grooved insulation panels and low profile structure make it easier to install and can be used on both lower and upper floors with virtually any floor covering. MERCURY STELLA is a fantastic system as it can be used in both new build and retrofit renovations, making it a firm favourite with installers.
It’s no secret that our favourite event of the year is Baking for Macmillan. This year was no exception with a tremendous effort by all staff who baked a mixture of sweet treats from Lemon drizzle cake and Dorset Apple Cake to chocolate brownies, banana bread and much more. We’re still collecting donations but it’s looking like it’s our record year yet and we’ll update you when the final amount is counted.
This is the 4th year that we’ve hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning as it’s a cause that has personally helped some of our staff members and their families. It’s not just about cake, it’s about giving back to this charity so they can continue to provide incredible support and advice for individuals suffering from cancer and their families.
One of the more unique projects that we’ve had the pleasure of working on is the transformation of a Dorset WWII Bunker, which was once part of the RAF Ringstead radar station. The concrete structure, which originally had no windows, is almost invisible from the outside and is in the process of being transformed into a 2 bedroom holiday let.
We’re pleased to have designed, supplied and installed a MERCURY Aurora system into the renovation. This underfloor heating system is commonly used as part of a specified acoustic floor detail, where it is laid directly into the pipe positioning panel, spaced at 50mm intervals, enabling easy installation of the MERCURY pipe.
Not only is this a cool place to stay, but visitors will also be able to relax in year-round ambient temperature, and just check out those views!
UFHN are delighted to add another trophy to its list of accolades with the Corporate Livewire Prestige Award for ‘Best in Underfloor Heating Solutions’ for the South of England 2021/22.
The judges assess whether a business provides the best product and service within its industry and is awarded based on service excellence, industry recognition, marketing & branding and customer feedback. The judges commented, “We are very pleased to provide recognition as we can clearly see UFHN are incredibly knowledgable in the field and with a certain personal touch, are able to tailor solutions specific to the requirement of the client”.
This latest award is in addition to the company’s success at the H&V News Awards for the past 3 years. Paul Lines, Managing Director adds, “This award is a credit to all the staff at UFHN. They’re all highly skilled and experienced and as a result of our outside-the-box approach and attention to detail, we find we are usually first on the list for more complex projects involving private residential, listed or heritage buildings, multi-residential accommodation, health facilities, schools, leisure and much more. I’m thrilled that our work and skill of our staff has been recognised as we continue strong growth across the company”.
L-R. Paul Lines, Managing Director. Sarah Daniels, Marketing Manager. Ben Anderson, Technical Sales. Craig Davis, Contracts Manager.
Construction Enquirer News recently reported that England’s key regional cities are set for significant growth after a strong bounce-back, mainly driven by big residential schemes.
Activity across the midlands and north regions, especially in cities such as Birmingham and Manchester have seen a record amount of project starts, with Leeds leading the way with growth in residential, student and office schemes. This mirrors Glenigan’s report of levelling up regions in the North East that are also seeing a flurry of significant new contract awards in 2022.
This is encouraging news for UFHN, as we are pleased to announce we have expanded our operation beyond our traditional geographical areas of the South West, London and South East to the Midlands and North, where demand for our service offering is significantly increasing.
Paul Lines, UFHN Managing Director comments, “The focus on the Government’s net-zero targets have put companies such as ourselves under the spotlight as we can design, supply and install energy-efficient solutions in all types of property. This is of particular relevance at a time when we are all faced with energy price hikes. Underfloor heating uses less energy than conventional heating methods and can be teamed with heat pumps, making this a heating method of choice for new build and renovation projects”.
For further information or to discuss a new project pipeline call 01202 894976 or email sales@ufhn.co.uk
We’ve been looking back at our jobs throughout October and Deal in Kent has to be one of our favourites. Fast becoming one of the top destinations to live in Kent (according to the Sunday Times), we particularly like this install in a period property along the seafront which the owners are carefully updating, whilst keeping the original features of the building.
Once again our team designed a low profile underfloor heating system that features within all four floors of the property. From the basement up, we’ve installed Mercury Stella, a system we’ve introduced this year and enjoy working with for a number of reasons.
Mercury Stella is a versatile system and particularly suited to a retrofit installation thanks to its low 18mm build-up. The multi-directional panels are covered with 100-micron foil which provides fast heat response time and even heat distribution. No screed is required either, so installation is super speedy and means it’s suitable for use with most floor finishes.
For more information about Mercury Stella or if you’d like us to quote on your next underfloor heating project, get in touch.
