Ashe Roofing Helps Lay Down Special Roofing Memories

ASHE ROOFING LTD is helping schoolchildren to collect items for a time capsule before allowing them on to scaffolding to bury it between layers of insulation in their school’s roof.

The Hitchin-based roofing contractor has been working alongside Barker Associates’ Jordan Molloy to re-roof some of the flat roofs at Ulverley Primary School in Solihull, which is part of the Robin Hood Multi Academy Trust.

The school has remained open throughout the pandemic to the children of key workers and to other children who need to attend. Robbie Fone, Construction Director at Ashe Roofing Ltd says the children have been fascinated by the roofing work that is being carried out at the school in a 16-week project.

Roof Tours

Robbie said, “The children often would call up to the roofers on the scaffold and ask them what they were doing and why. We decided to explain to the children what the job involves to keep their school watertight. We have taken children up on the scaffold in small supervised groups of 10. We give them special child-sized hi vis vests and hard hats to wear, which they love.

“We’ve also given talks and offer special packs that we make up. We relate the packs back to their learning, explaining things like the order of works, deliveries, site safety, but also try to make it fun with stickers and quizzes.

“We also took the opportunity to make the most of their interest in our roofing work by talking to them about careers in roofing. We tell them work isn’t just all about computers, that there are some great roofing apprenticeships on offer for kids who don’t want to go down the academic route.”

With a turnover of £12 million, Ashe Roofing has seen steady growth over the last few years and works solely on public sector projects, most of which are in education. At Ulverley School, the company is re-roofing sectioned off buildings that are being renewed as part of an upgrade to the school’s facilities. They are replacing 2000m² of flat roofs with Langley Waterproofing System’s TA 30 Flat Roofing system.

Waterproofing Membrane Installer Apprenticeship

Robbie explained that the company’s interest in education means that they also regularly take on apprentices themselves, with three in the firm last year. One of their apprentices is attending the Waterproofing Membrane Installer Apprenticeship, as part of the Government’s Trailblazer initiative delivered by Langley Waterproofing in Leytonstone and is working towards a NVQ level 2 qualification. The training, which covers Reinforced Bituminous Membranes (RBM), single ply and liquid flat roofing was highly praised by Robbie Fone.

He said, “The course is a really good preparation for the actual work we do on site. I’ve seen our apprentices who attend the course really improve their skills and understanding. It’s really good to see the Langley course working as well as it does.”

Now, two specially chosen children will be invited on to the scaffolding by Ashe Roofing to bury a silver tube time capsule on the bottom of two layers of the roof insulation.

“We try to do something special for every school we go to,” explains Robbie. “Something to enrich their curriculum and open up the children’s eyes to what careers are available in roofing.”