1

The BritishWatch &Clock Makers’Guild

TIMEPIECEThe Newsletter of the Guild

N U M B E R 6 6 ● S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6

Founded 1907

President: The Most Hon. The Marquess of Northampton DL

Guild welcomes new Trailblazer watchmaker apprenticeship scheme

Supporting the Industry for more than 100 years TIMEPIECE www.bwcmg.org

Trailblazer apprenticeships are a govern-ment led initiative to increase the skilledworkforce in the United Kingdom by encouraging high quality training whileworking as an alternative to a universityeducation.

There have always been apprentice-ships but the big step forward is that theTrailblazer apprenticeships are ‘employerled’. Instead of a training organisation developing a package of learning, the industry itself is responsible for establish-ing a contact group to determine exactlywhat is required in the workplace. Thisstatement of training requirements, calledthe Standard, is approved by the depart-ment of Business Innovation and Skills(BIS); an Assessment Plan must then bedeveloped and approved by BIS before theapprenticeship is ready for delivery.

The extent of government funding toassist the employer is dependent on aFunding Cap decided by BIS, which re-flects the nature and length of training;Trailblazer apprenticeships must be of atleast one year’s duration. In essence, thegovernment provides two pounds for everyone pound required from the employer,up to the level of the funding cap; thereare additional financial incentives to trainyoung people and for small businesses toemploy apprentices.

Most of the training takes place in theworkplace but 20 per cent of learning hasto be ‘off the job training’ which can bedelivered by a ‘training provider’. This encourages the opportunity for day/blockrelease to be introduced to teach specificskills and knowledge, thus saving the employer’s time.

A Gateway Assessment after a coupleof months is required to confirm that theapprentice possesses an aptitude for theskills required and is likely to completethe apprenticeship. The quality of learningis assured by a rigorous End PointAssessment conducted by an Independent Assessor’; the successful apprentice receivesa City and Guilds apprenticeship certificate.

But is there a place for a Trailblazer apprenticeship for training watchmakers?

With large sectors of industry, the financial benefits warrant the struggle withgovernment bureaucracy; for example,Rolls Royce and Tesco are likely to employconsultants to prepare the Standard andAssessment Plan and provide the necessaryquality assurance but is it a possibility forwatchmakers?

Continued on Page 4.

A group of Guild members met up inLondon in July for the annual trip which thisyear was a tour of Big Ben and the Housesof Parliament.Read more on Page 13.

A total of 35 amateur photog-raphers submitted a total of 90images based on the theme ‘ThePassage of Time’ for the BritishHorological Institute’s very firstphotographic competition.

It is hoped to run the com-petition on an annual basis. Youcan find out more about thisyear’s winners on Page 10.

Pictured left is a photograph byElaine McGrede, one of theshortlisted entrants.

2

Industry Action Fund

The whole trade - not just Guild members- has been asking the Board what is happening with the Guild's spare parts initiative. As many of you will know, theBoard has been putting pressure on Swatchand trying by all means at our disposal tomake common sense prevail. The Boardstill feels that the parts embargo is a greatmistake and will lose public goodwill builtup over many decades by the Swiss watchindustry. However, Swatch still refuse tosee sense and it has reached the stage thatCourt action is the only avenue left to advance the cause and protect membersand, indeed, the trade worldwide.

The Guild was not in a position to instigate this action itself for several reasons. The two main ones being thateven with the IAF contributions, fundingwas not available from our membership tocover Court costs and the evidence gath-ering which would be necessary. Secondly,the case would need to be brought by anindividual or company who could provethe financial damage caused to them per-sonally by the Swiss action.

It was therefore decided that the com-pany best placed to take things forwardwould be Anthony Cousins of Cousins UKLimited. Anthony has been involved in try-ing to keep the spares supply chain openfor many years and has been a major fun-der of the Guild's spare parts initiative fromthe beginning.

Photo courtesy Richard Barker, Essex Life.

At great personal risk and expense, Anthony will take the fight to the Courtsand the Guild will continue to push foraccess to spares. We urge all members andimportantly, the other material houses, toassist in any way possible.

Those of you who have been in contactwith Steve Domb through our IAF schemewill be interested to know that, for the timebeing, he is assisting Anthony with prepa-rations for the case.

We are happy to forward on to youhere a press release from Anthony regard-

ing the current situation. The Guild willbe offering as much assistance as it can forwhat is going to be a long and protractedfight. Members of the trade can rest assuredthat the Guild will continue the struggleand will not rest until a reasonable resultis achieved.

Being aware of various rumours circu-lating within the trade as to what was happening with the IAF, the Board didemail all members for whom we had emailaddresses to give an up to date report onwhat was happening. If you did not receivethis it means that we don’t have your emailaddress or that our records are incorrect.

In today’s world email is the most efficient way to let you all know as quicklyas possible what is happening. Therefore,I would ask anyone who didn't receive theemail to let me know their current emailaddress. You don't have to write an emailthe length of ‘War and Peace’, just a line tosay ‘please keep me up to date’.

Ray WalfordThe Guild was sorry to learn of the suddendeath of Ray Walford, Chairman of theBHI. I had many conversations with Rayover the years regarding the future of theBHI and our trade in general, and we oftenused to catch up at the Birmingham Watch& Clock Fair where he liked to walk roundlooking for bargains. I am sure that theBHI will miss his leadership in this mostimportant year.

Cousins and Swatch head to the CourtsAn announcement from Anthony Cousins, Managing Director

All those involved in the Independent Repair Trade are beingseriously threatened by the parts embargo by Swatch. Cousinscustomers will know that we have been very active in fightingto restore supply. Cousins is currently vigorously engaged incourt proceedings against the Swatch group which is trying tochallenge Cousins’ allegations of anti-competitive conduct.

The last 18 months have been an incredibly steep learningcurve for me. I have had to learn far more about CompetitionLaw than I ever imagined the owner of a small business wouldneed to do. Engaging and working with major internationalLaw Firms, and getting to grips with judicial processes in dif-ferent jurisdictions has also added to the load.

Initially, Cousins attempted to have this matter examined inthe European Courts by requesting permission to become anIntervener in the on-going case between CEAHR and the EUCommission. Unsurprisingly, the Commission objected to thisidea, and despite an appeal to a higher court, our applicationwas unsuccessful.

At the same time as this process was taking place, I have

been very active with the Industry Action Fund, including attending a meeting at the Department of Business, Innovationand Skills, which in turn led to a referral to the Competitionand Markets Authority.

As our understanding of the Law and how to implement itgrew, it became very clear that direct legal action was the neces-sary way to resolve this matter, and once we had exhausted allopportunities to be an Intervener with CEAHR, our Londonlawyers sent the required ‘Letter Before Action’ to Swatch Groupwarning them that unless they restored supply, we would issueproceedings against them in the English Courts.

Swatch decided not to face us in an English Court, but instead launched their own action against Cousins in a SwissCommercial Court, in an attempt to have that Court declarethat they have not broken competition law. Cousins has engagedthe services of a highly reputable Swiss law firm, and we arenow preparing our response to the Court.

We hope that the Independent Repair sector will take heartfrom our efforts, and give their support in gathering the industryand consumer information that will be needed.

Anthony Cousins Managing Director, Cousins Material House Ltd.

anthony@cousinsuk.com

3

Letters

Please send submissions to:Jayne Hall, EditorBritish Watch and Clock Makers’ Guild26 Knights CloseWindsor, Berks, SL4 5QREmail: editor@bwcmg.orgThe views expressed on the letters page are the author’s own and not those of the Guild.

Bolton TimeBallDo any Guild members know anythingabout the timeball on top of Preston’s, thevery up-market jewellers shop in Bolton?

It was during a visit to the town lastmonth when quite by chance I discoveredthe timeball at 12:58. It dropped at 13:00.Of course I immediately wanted to knowmore about it but even the locals didn’tseem to know anything.

There is some information on the netof course, which says that the currentbuilding owner had it restored in 2008 after ten years absence for safety reasons.A firm from Macclesfield did the work butnothing is known about the clock beneath,maker, maintainer, etc.

With hindsight, I wish I had gone intothe shop, although I am not in a positionto buy their wares. The family name Preston is long gone, the business now be-ing run by a family with my Mother’smaiden name ... interesting but have notfound a connection!

Noel Mansfieldnw1.mansfield@mypostoffice.co.uk

Clocks of the World The Trafalgar

Besides being one of the world’s greatestwatchmakers, George Daniels collected alot of clocks and watches and also keptquite a few that he made himself. He leftinstructions that, after his death, theyshould be auctioned to raise money tofound a trust for training future Britishwatchmakers.

The sale, on 6 November 2012, raised£8.25m. I remember the day well. Theman next to me bid for the Space Traveller,but dropped out at £1.2m. ‘Thank Godfor that,’ he said to me. ‘My wife wouldhave killed me!’

I was after the Trafalgar – the only electronic watch George owned, and a talk-ing one at that. The lot estimate was £80-£120 and it was announced to derisory

laughter from the crowd. ‘Anybody got afifty quid note?’ quipped the auctioneer.Up went my bidding paddle and the roomturned to stare at me, thinking, is he mad?There was only one other bidder, and hewas bidding by phone.

By the time we hit the £300 mark, thecrowd in the room were on my side. Theycoaxed me through the £500 barrier andpositively cheered when we closed the dealat £813.

‘[The] price elicited about as manysharp intakes of breath as the Space Travellers' Watch!’ reported the HorologicalJournal, though in fact it was the lowestprice paid for anything at the auction.

By modern CNC machining standards,the manufacture is poor – note the align-

ment of the speaker holes. But then Trafal-gar did subcontract the manufacture to aFrench company, Reglex.

It was reportedly no longer in workingcondition, so I was expecting it to requirean extensive rebuild, probably with entirelynew electronics. As it turned out, all itneeded was a new set of batteries.

TIM – The Talking ClockThe celebrations of the 80th anniversaryof TIM, the talking clock, reminded me ofan anecdote related to me by Dick Leaton,who was my boss at the time. Before it disappears into the great compost bin oftime, I thought it might amuse some ofyour readers.

During WW2, most of the work of theRoyal Observatory at Greenwich, includingthe Time Service, was moved out of London, and only a token staff remained,

of whom Dick was one. Despite this, peo-ple continued to phone the observatory toask for the exact time. Rather than admitthat the home of GMT had no accurateclocks, the technique was to ask the callerto hold on while the error of a watch waschecked by phoning TIM from the nextroom, then passing on the correct time tothe caller.

This worked satisfactorily until therewas a call from someone who needed toreset a master clock that had developed aproblem. They were told to hold on, asusual, but, disaster, there was no responsefrom TIM.

Back to the caller: ‘Sorry, we are unableto help you at present. Why don’t you trycalling TIM?’ Caller: ‘This is TIM!’

Stuart Malin

Trailblazer Scheme Watchmaking ApprenticeshipDavid Poole

4

The answer, at the moment is a definite YES. A year ago an industry contact group was formed by Matt

Bowling, Watchfinder & Co. Since then, there have been meetingsto consider in detail the skills and knowledge required by awatchmaker to service both quartz and mechanical movementsand refinish watch cases and bracelets.

At the end of this apprenticeship, it is expected that the apprentice will have become proficient in servicing a range ofmovements, with the complexity of automatic, day date.

There are even thoughts that another apprenticeship couldextend the training to include chronographs. Whereas the routetowards developing an apprenticeship is usually via a formal Expression of Interest to BIS from a number of companies, theenthusiasm for the development of the Watchmaker TrailblazerApprenticeship began via a Generic Craftsperson Standard. Thispromised to simplify the process but it has quickly become clearthere is no straightforward path when working with BIS.

From the outset, the development has been strongly supportedby the George Daniels Educational Trust. Since its inception threeyears ago, the Trust has helped students who are training to become clock/watchmakers at the various colleges, has providedequipment for establishments teaching clock/watchmakers andis currently helping four apprentices. The Trustees believe theprovision of a government apprenticeship will encourage furthertraining to the benefit of the industry.

It is anticipated that training for a period of two years is required for the apprentice to achieve a sufficient level of achieve-ment. The scheme comprises six modules, with each module introducing new skills and associated underpinning knowledge.The End Point Assessment is conducted by an Independent Assessor with suitable training and experience.

The scheme is currently based on common ETA modules butit is expected that the apprentice broadens their experience byworking on other calibres in the workplace.

There is a need for apprentices to identify with the watch industry and exhibit real commitment rather than just an interestin the pay packet at the end of the week. There is no formalstructure to develop these qualities, but there is a need for theemployer to consider whether, or not, the apprentice demonstratesthese qualities. This focus encourages the apprentice to reflectpositively on attitudes to work and others.

Chris Papworth, Guild Chairman, said: ‘For many years, theGuild has been concerned both with the lack of horological train-ing within the workplace and the way the small amount of trainingthat is available has been structured. Whilst it is possible to gainmuch useful information ‘from a book’ it cannot, for instance,demonstrate how much end-shake is ideal or the amount of oilthat ought to be applied in any position.

‘Fault finding and assessing a watch or clock and deciding exactly what work is required can only be learnt when the studentis exposed to the volume and variations found in a working repairor restoration workshop, and a most important learning aid isthe experience and skills which are absorbed almost by osmosis,simply by observing more experienced watch and clockmakers atthe bench and being a part of the horological community.

‘We are an ‘endangered species’ at this time, with few of thetraditional workshops and watchmakers still operating, and weshould welcome this initiative with open arms and encouragepotential employers – both large and small – to take part.

‘We must also be aware that there will need to be jobs availableat the completion of a student’s training. The opportunities willnot be limitless and the aim must be a steady stream of skilled future horologists and not a large number of semi-skilled workersflooding the market.

‘The Guild welcomes the Trailblazer Scheme for Horology andis ready to offer any assistance which will help the scheme go forward.’

Module 2 introduces the servicing of mechanical movements.

Module 1 provides an introduction to the workplace andwatch servicing; Module 2 marks the start of learning how toservice a mechanical movement; Module 3 studies the faults inmechanical watches; Module 4 introduces refinishing watch casesand bracelets; Module 5 concentrates on quartz analogue move-ments and more complex quartz calibres, and finally Module 6focuses on servicing automatic watches together with identifyingand correcting faults.

The ability to reliably service watch movements is the greatestemphasis throughout the two year apprenticeship but the modernworking environment requires more. Core values and behavioursform a thread embracing every module. This is a requirement ofall Trailblazer apprenticeships; we all require staff to be able towork with others, to be punctual and well presented.

5

Bimingham City University’s School of Jewellery recognised the achievements oftheir students at the Annual IndustryEvening in July.

As part of the Inspired Festival, itproved to be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the talents of all of those in theSchool, including the horology depart-ment, with many awarded special prizes,sponsored by both international and localbusinesses.

Guest speaker for the event was JessicaCadzow (FGA), Bespoke & Heritage Director from Garrard and Co., who alsopresented the prizes.

The Vitton Moët Louis Hennessy(LVMH) Prize of a Tag Heuer Watch wasawarded to Andrew Glover for coming outtop overall over three years of study. Andrew also received a prize from the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers forbeing the highest achiever in the Final Year,the Cartier Award for practical watch work,and the Meeks Award for Horological Theory. Andrew has obtained a First ClassBA Honours Degree in Horology fromBCU.

The watch brand, Christopher Ward,generously sponsored a prize for TechnicalInnovation, awarding one of their watchesto Simon Buhlmann for his 3D printedclock. Other recipients were Corrie Drew,who gained the Cartier Award for practicalclock work and Alice Fisher-McAllum Taylor who was awarded the Fellows Prizefor her efforts.

Jeremy Hobbins, Head of Horologysaid: ‘The evening was a joyous occasionand it was a delight to welcome so manyeminent names from the horological worldincluding David Newman, Chairman of

the Trustees of the George Daniels Educa-tional Trust, with David Poole from theirAdvisory Committee. There was also a sizable contingent from the WorshipfulCompany of Clockmakers including theMaster Michael Stewart and Secretary LtCol Oliver Bartrum MBE; Dr James Nye,Chair of the Antiquarian Horological Society; and Nick Towndrow, After SalesService Director from Breitling UK Ltd,along with numerous others from the in-dustry.

‘We also welcomed Mat Craddock a.k.a.www.thewatchnerd.co.uk who is busy onsocial media. (Incidentally the School ofJewellery can be followed on Twitter@SoJ_BCU.) My apologies to those I haveomitted to mention, I sadly could not capture everyone’s names.

Inspiring BCU Students’ End of Show Spectacular

Pictured left to right: Jessica Cadzow (FGA), Bespoke & Heritage Director from Garrard and Co;Andrew Glover, Alice Fisher-McAllum Taylor, Corrie Drew and Jeremy Hobbins, Head of Horology.

‘I would like to say a huge thank youto all of our guests and sponsors fromacross the industry. The public recognitionby these prestigious organisations of theskills of our students does much to rein-force and remind of the importance andefficacy of the education we provide hereon our BA Horology Course.’

Added Jeremy: ‘I must also say a hugethank you to my colleagues in the Schoolof Jewellery who support our students,and especially to Jon Parker, my fellow tutor, who plays a vital role in helping tocreate future generations of horologistsand Mat Porton, former BHI Bronze medalwinner and BCU Alumnus who joined ourteam this year.’

www.bcu.ac.uk

The horological pieces on display at the Annual Industry Evening.

6

Bluing Hands What else would you use your wood-burner for? The little things that might come in handy...Keith Watkinson

During the winter months from late December to early March, Ioften disappear into my garage workshop and get stuck into various jobs. I like doing clocks mostly (for watches I have asmaller place indoors) but outside is the place for larger jobs andthe machinery. The only problem with an outside workshop atthis time of year is staying warm and another of my jobs is cuttinglogs for our woodburner which is in the living room. This iswhere my next little clock job came in as I needed to reblue apair of clock hands which had been painted a long time ago andwere in poor condition.

I guess many of you will have had a go at the various heatbluing (methods) on a brass plate or filings on the kitchen stove,hotplate or whatever. It can take quite a bit of time playing aroundtrying to get the right even colour and the larger the parts themore difficult it is.

I know that there are many colours that can be obtainedthrough tempering from light straw through to blue. Trying toget it uniform on even small pieces can be tricky. It is usually notquite so important if you are tempering an object down, but if itis say a clock hand you want the same colour all over.

The old gunsmiths used slow-burning charcoal to achievethat deep blue/black. An old gunsmith book of mine, first writtenin 1881, quotes the work will first attain a pale straw – colour afterwards a light blue, a purple, a dark blue, a red, a white andfinally a deep dark blue approaching a black. My old workshoptechnology book gives figures for colours in degrees centigrade:Pale straw 230; dark straw 240; brown 250; brownish purple260; purple 270; dark purple 280; and blue 300.

The last deep dark blue mentioned above is much moredurable and I have only been able to obtain this when it is restricted from the air in fine charcoal and comes at more like400 degrees centigrade.

There is much information available on the net and you canresearch about charcoal bluing if you wish, but I won’t do it here.

If you want to have a go yourself and you happen to have awoodburner then you can achieve a good result without spending

a lot of time waiting and watching for colours to change and thendoing it again because it went wrong.

You need a suitable container/ metal box or something similarto house the parts. Of course, you will have to do all the prepara-tion work first, polishing and degreasing. Make sure the handsare dry and finally brush lightly with a clean watch bush andFrench calk. Do not touch with your fingers. As a precaution Ilike to rub my fingers on the block of French calk to dry and restrict any grease transfering.

Wait till late evening just before bedtime when your fire is almost spent and you just have small charcoals/embers left. Gentlypush the embers aside and take some of the fine ash, put a smallamount in the bottom of your box, say half full. Place the clockhands in the ash collet side down so they support the hands nottouching each other. Cover over with more ash and fill the box.Place it back in the woodburner and spread the embers aroundit. Close the doors, go to bed and forget about it until the morning.

This process does not require quenching so in the morning itwill be cool or more likely cold. Take out the hands carefullyshake and dust off the ash. You can use your chalked watch brushto finish off. I like to wax them then with some beeswax based

The finished hands.

Making the most of a woodburner. The hands in the white before bluing.

7

furniture wax polish. Let this dry for an hour or so then lightlybuff with a soft cloth. This deepens the colour much more andgives them a lustre. You may need to use a piece of pegwood tohelp remove any little clumps of wax on the under sides andinside the collets, which is a fairly simple job.

At this point I would like to tell you a little story about thebox I used. I have been retired now for nine years, but a fewyears beforehand I was looking in the scrap metal skip one day atthe engineering company where I worked for many years. I neededa piece of material to make a tool/fixture or something to assistwork holding. Perhaps I was just seeing what I could find and Icame across this little brass box. It had most probably been madeup by one of the sheet metal apprentices as a test piece, all notchedout corners, folded up and the corners silver soldered then discarded after passing examination. It was made from 20 swgbrass 3/4” in height x 2 7/16” wide x 4 1/8” long outside dimen-sions. I thought it might come in handy so I wiped it clean andput it in a small drawer in one of my toolmakers cabinets. Thereit stayed until very recently housing old expired raffle tickets,horse names from the Grand National sweepstake, some businesscards, some spare parts for a clip on eye glass that I always wore,an end for a dentist mirror and some change from a lottery syndicate pay out at my former workplace – we used to cough upmaybe a pound or two a week and maybe get back £25 quid atChristmas from any winnings through the year. It did come inhandy after all.

A couple of points I should add if you try this, is make sureyou don't have any soft soldered joints or repairs and only usewood in your burner. There are multi fuel types and this is acharcoal process so only use wood. You don’t have to worry aboutthe temperature so long as the fire is low, the ash is still hot atthat stage, the fine charcoal particles will keep the air out, havingdragged the embers around your container, shut the doors andleave it. The charcoal left won't get any hotter because it burnsunaided at the temperature required and heat will be retained inside the burner closed up for quite a while.

You might say this is no good to me I don't have a woodburnerand anyway it’s summertime I need to keep cool not sit by a fire,but winter will soon be upon us, and you never know, you mightjust have the need to give it a try. I was very pleased with my results.

The hands blued, removed and dusted from the ash.

Alan Burtoft, the Head Lecturer at the British School of Watchmaking in Manchester, is retiring after more than 50 yearsin the trade – but he won’t be hanging up his horological toolsany time soon!

Alan says he was interested in mechanics and electronics froman early age. In 1962, at the age of 16, he signed up for an apprenticeship with a provincial jewellers in Barnsley, workingwith seven other watchmakers.

With his apprenticeship complete, he moved to London, work-ing at Anglo Continental Clock Co from 1968 to 1971, who, atthat time, were the main Seiko importers. He later joined Omegawhere he worked for several years before becoming a teacher ofwatchmaking at a government skill centre.

In 1977, he returned to Omega as Workshop Manager until1980, when he returned to Yorkshire and worked for over 20years as a self employed trade watchmaker, as well as a part timeinstructor for the British Horological Institute, concentratingmainly on the teaching of the Swiss Lever Escapement and its adjustment.

In 2000, he joined Goldsmiths as National Workshop Manager,a post which involved a great deal of travelling, joining the BritishSchool of Watchmaking as Head Lecturer in 2006, where he hasbeen ever since.

Over the years, Alan has attended many courses at factories inSwitzerland including Audemars Piguet, Omega, Rolex andWOSTEP.

He said: ‘I enjoy teaching as well as the practical aspects ofwatchmaking and recommend a career in watchmaking for anyonewith a practical and artistic temperament, where learning neverceases.

‘With over 50 years experience of the industry working in thewatch houses, retail, as an independent watchmaker I expect tobe buried with my tools!’

BSoW Say a FondFarewell to Alan

If you have any workshop hints and tips that you would like toshare with Guild members, we would love to hear from you.

Contact: Jayne HallEmail: editor@bwcmg.orgTel: 07496 449978

8

Business Profile Keith Scobie-Youngs – Cumbria Clock Company

It was quite by chance that Keith Scobie-Youngs, who now ownsand runs Cumbria Clock Company – one of the country’s leadingchurch and public clock specialists, got ‘into’ turret clocks at all.For back in the early 80s, after leaving Birmingham Polytechnicwith his horology qualification, he admits he only went downthe turret clock route ‘until something better came along.’

Fortunately during his six years working for Public Clocks inLondon, his first horological position, he changed his mind, fellin love with the giants among clocks – and the rest, as they say, ishistory.

He explains: ‘I left Polytechnic in 1984 and I had really wantedto work with (smaller) clocks but there was nothing available atthat time, so I decided to get a job working with turret clocksuntil something better came along. That never happened becauseI quickly fell in love with both turret clocks and the buildings inwhich many were housed.

‘I also liked the fact that you needed other skills to be a successful turret clockmaker; I was proficient at joinery, rope ac-cess and I learnt to become a steeplejack – a combination of a lotof skills make this kind of work much easier.’

Keith says he has been delighted to meet lots of interestingpeople along the way, including his wife Lynn, who has alwaysbeen and still is, a key figure in the business today.

It was in 1990 that he and Lynn decided it was time to set uptheir own business. They looked at many different areas for abase but didn’t want to compete with Public Clocks so decidedto move to the north of England. Their first workshop was atThrelkeld just outside Keswick, and they moved to their presentsite in Dacre four years later.

Today Cumbria Clock Company employs a total of 12 peopleand has a second workshop down in Crediton, Devon, wheretwo engineers, Luke and David, are based to cover the south ofthe country. Joining Lynn in the office are two further admin

workers. Peter is Workshop Manager at Dacre, and is joined thereby David, Mark, Tom and Ray. Not forgetting Richard who worksout of Derby.

Keith says he has to spend a fair amount of time in the officethese days working on quotes but still enjoys going out on inspections.

Cumbria Clock Company has a very prestigious portfolio ofclients including the National Trust and many of the historicroyal palaces – for example they look after the AstronomicalClock at Hampton Court Palace and the Weather Vane at Kens-ington Palace. They also serve many of the country’s cathedrals,including Canterbury, Salisbury and Durham to name just a few.In fact, in total they now look after over 1,000 clocks.As well as working on site, they bring a huge number of clocksinto their workshop for repair and restoration.

Another claim to fame is making a drive unit for Big Benwhich kept the dials on time – in fact they are the only company,apart from Dents, to keep the world’s most famous dials turning.

Keith Scobie-Youngs.

Pictured left the workshops at Dacre.

9

Things have changed massively since the early days whenLynn was out working on the tools with Keith.

‘It was great fun in those days and I certainly couldn’t havedone it on my own. Lynn is as much a part of the business nowas she was back then and Cumbria Clock Company wouldn’texist today without her’, explained Keith.

He added: ‘We have always been very ‘conservation minded’and the philosophy within the company is built on not being intrusive – we have developed and honed out conservation tech-niques over the years.’

Keith is keen to point out that the company is still growingand there is still much to learn.

‘I remember when I was always on the road servicing and repairing clocks and I longed for time in the office. Now that haschanged and it is the other way round. Business has changedgreatly and there are now many more health and safety implica-tions, there are risk assessments to be done and a host of thingswhich keep me at my desk. People are also wanting many moreconservation reports which can be very time consuming to produce but, of course, are vitally important.’

Keith points out that turret clocks often fall under the radarwith clock lovers who don’t considered them to be of the samequality as a domestic model. He added: ‘Many people don’t realise

that some of the finest clockmakers of all time, Tompion andMudge among them, have made fantastic turret clocks.

‘I hope that the ignorance and neglect which often surroundsturret clocks is starting to be eroded – I want people to realisethat big old clocks can be top quality and are capable of keepingremarkable time.’

Keith and Lynn are justifiably proud of their hardworkingteam. Cumbria Clock Company now has a 3,600 sq ft workshopin Dacre and a smaller 1,200 sq ft workshop close by, along withthe one in Devon.

When pushed to choose his favourite turret clock, Keithplumps for a tune-playing model by Thomas Steight, built in1709, and sited at Church Buckland in Gloucestershire.

‘I first visited the clock in 1997 and it was as if time had stoodstill. The clock hadn’t been changed at all since the day it was installed. I restored it myself – in fact it was the last project I didon my own before the company started to grow. It was and still isa fabulous inspiration.

‘I am so lucky to have a job which enables me to see brilliantplaces and remarkable clocks.’

www.clockmaker.co.uk

Working on a dial.

The movement after restoration.The restoration of a Turret Clock by John Whitehurst. Left is the movement as found.

10

Book Reviews

I am not a watchmaker – I am a watch repairer. There are only a few people inthe world that make complete watchesfrom scratch, and I only know of one inthe UK, Roger Smith.

Most Guild members will earn theirliving repairing watches and clocks. Watchrepairing is what I do for a living, so a lotof processes described in this book willnever be replicated in my workshop. Ican’t see myself getting into making myown balances any time soon as it’s farcheaper to get a replacement than to makea complete balance oneself. There is noeconomic case for doing so, and we allhave to make a living.

Nevertheless, knowing how eachwatch part is made is very useful informa-tion indeed, and quite a few processes described in the book can be used in awatch repairer’s workshop.

For example, knowing how to makeyour own tap to cut left handed screwholes can be a true lifesaver. Making or

modifying screws is a regular occurrencefor anyone restoring vintage watches, andthe ‘Screws and Threading’ section in the‘Hand Tools’ chapter is most useful. It alsoexplains how to work blind threads, howto make your own taps from a screwplate,and covers polishing, shoulder screws, etc.

Another useful chapter for the watchrepairer is ‘the Balance and Spring’ whichgives some very valuable pointers regard-ing positional variation in regards to thepinning location of the collet.

Turning has its own extensive chapter,and covers turning balances between

Author: George DanielsISBN 0 85667 174 XPublished: Sothebys PublicationsAvailable from: Horological Booksellersand ebay.

Components of the watch illustrated in Plate II.

centres, which is an essential techniqueto produce a completely centred balancestaff that won’t affect positional variation.

For those of us feeling more adventur-ous, the ‘Making Small Components’ chapter covers barrels, chronometer detents, and hands.

So there is plenty of useful hands-onknowledge even for those of us who willnever make a movement of their own.

My choice for the desert island, together with a kitted out workshop asdescribed in Chapter 1. Oh and some elec-tricity. Under those circumstances, I mighthave the time to tackle the task of makinga watch from scratch and this book is all Iwill need to learn how to do that.

The Watch Workshop.Plate VI: Composite details of the watchillustrated in Plate II.

1111

The Wales & Marches Horological Societysummer outing this year was a trip toBirmingham School of Jewellery to hear atalk by John Moorhouse MBHI entitled ‘AGuided Tour round Fabergés Workshops’.

John’s talk was well attended by our-selves, students from the school and invited guests. He started by explaininghis credentials – researching the Fabergécompany, studying the Fabergé productsand making similar types of items usingthe same techniques.

After giving the background of the family involved, John described how thecompany grew by helping able workmas-ters to set up a number of autonomousworkshops making items to Faberge’s designs. These were mostly amalgamatedin 1900 in St Petersburg into larger prem-ises. The company grew to employ a totalof 500 people as well as buying in servicessuch as hardstone carving and box makingfrom outside suppliers.

The main types of products wereshown: hardstone carvings, table silver-ware, domestic items, jewellery, and manyvery challenging special commissions. Theworking practices, ethos and customs weredescribed drawing upon the publishedmemoirs of former head designer FranzBirbaum. In the workshops, which hadonly very basic equipment, the journey-men primarily specialised in one aspect of

A GUIDED TOUR AROUNDFABERGÉS WORKSHOP– SCHOOL OF JEWELLERY

NEWS

WESTCOUNTRY HOROLOGICAL TRUST– SMALL GRANTS AND LOANS

the manufacture, such as engraving letter-ing, and thereby achieved very high stan-dards.

John explained how a whole range ofdifferent personal ‘must have’ items of theday were essentially manufactured in asimilar way – engine turned surfaces ofvarious geometries were covered in firedenamel (guilloché) to which additionaldecoration and framing was added. He il-lustrated how bulk production of somecomponents was adopted. He also outlinedthe practice and reasons for using only sol-der as the means of attachment when othermethods of attachment were impracticable.He showed where the use of classical mo-tifs was adopted in the design of manyproducts. A number of components andfinished Fabergé style items were passedaround so that we could closely appreciatethe type and style of work first hand. Un-fortunately, we had to give them back!

The talk was a rare insight into the peo-ple and processes behind the scenes in theFabergé workshops which were some ofthe keys to their success.After the talk, John and Mike Durham, lo-cal AHS members, both showed theirenamelled and decorated eggs includingthe singing bird mechanism John hadmade to fit inside his own.

Steven Tyrer

The Westcountry Horological Trust is acharitable trust set up by the South WestBranch of the BHI which accumulatesfunds from donations, bequests, and a proportion of the proceeds arising fromthe annual Branch auction.

The Trust’s principal aim is to offersmall grants or loans to deserving personswho wish to undertake or continue theirhorological training, in particular thoseworking towards the formal qualificationsawarded by the BHI. This might includeassistance towards the costs of BHI coursesand seminars, or help towards the costs oftravel. Assistance towards the costs ofcourses elsewhere may also be considered.It is open to active horologists living andworking in the West Country, includingCornwall, Devon, and south and westSomerset, although exceptional applica-tions will also be considered from furtherafield.

Applications should be made in writingat least two months before funding is required to: Dr Michael Denning, Ash-combe House, York Street, Sidmouth, De-

von EX10 8DA, and will be considered bythe Trustees after due regard has been givento the applicant’s financial circumstances,their current horological experience andlevel of training achieved and the likeli-hood of their benefiting from the trainingfor which funds have been requested.

In return, successful applicants will beasked to give a talk to the South WestBranch describing their experience of thetraining received. Given the current finan-cial climate and the low interest rates, allawards will necessarily draw on the capitalsum held by the Trust. Therefore, althoughnot a condition of an award being made,successful applicants are asked to endeav-our to reimburse the Trust at such time asthey might be able to do so, so that othersmay continue to benefit in the future.

The Trust is always in need of furtherdonations and bequests. For the postal ad-dress, if you can help, please contact ChrisPerry-Smith, the Treasurer by emailbhi.sw.auction@btinternet.com.

John and Mike discuss the finer points ofFabergés work, while Jeremy Hobbin, BCUHead of Horology looks on.

If you are interested in turret cocks, are acollector, a repairer, a restorer or a historianor conservator then the BHI’s Turret ClockForum could be right up your street.

Altogether there will be ten short pre-sentations on a diverse range of topics froma wide range of respected speakers fromEngland, Scotland, Wales, Argentina andAustralia. There will also be time to network with speakers and delegates overa buffet lunch and the event will concludewith an external question and answer session.

The event, which is being organised byChris McKay and Derek Frampton, costs£45 for BHI members and £60 for nonmembers.

You can find out more and book yourplace on the BHI website, www.bhi.co.uk –under the events section.

The Passage of Time BHI Photographic Competition

A amateur photographic competition toraise awareness of the BHI and horologyas a whole has been voted a resoundingsuccess.

The theme ‘the Passage of Time’ waschosen not necessarily to attract images ofclocks and watches but to get peoplethinking creatively on the subject – whichthey certainly did!

w Mo

horological tools for over 30 yearstteries & baps,tch straSupplying wa

.watch straps of packsampleFREE call us today to receive a

...But don’t take our word for it –

than ever before...LBSrom batteries and watch straps

theirbuying are ore retailers

r

fr w

Charlton Mead Lane y Industrial Est Unit 9 Ducksbur

LBS UK OFFICE:

.lbslondon.co.ukwww: 01992 470 369 TT:

horological tools for over 30 years.

EN11 0DJ Hoddesdon

A panel of three judges inspected all90 images by 35 entrants (a maximum ofthree images each) and from these chose ashortlist of 12. After a lengthy process theywere whittled down to a winner and tworunners up, who received prize money donated by Charles Frodsham.

The winner was Paul Shatzberger, withrunners up Jason Pouchin and Paul Hinton.

‘With the use of social media the com-petition was seen by approximately126,000 people worldwide in places as farflung as USA, New Zealand, Switzerlandand UAE,’ explained Competition Organ-iser Ross Alcock MBHI.

And following its success, plans arenow underway for a second competitionnext year entitled ‘Time and Motion’ witha closing date of 31 March 2017.

Added Ross: ‘It will have the sameethos, spreading horology to a new non-traditional audiences and encouragingbudding photographers to think outsidethe box, so to speak.’

The competition is open to any

amateur photographer and the judges arelooking for an individual take on thetheme

www.bhi.co.ukThe winning entry by Paul Shatzberger.

12

Runner up Paul Hinton’s entry.

13

MEMBERS’ MART, BUY, SELL, SWAP – Advertise here for free. Contact Jayne Hall, Editor, The TimePieceTel: 07496 449978 Email: editor@bwcmg.org

MEMBERS

GUILD BOARD MEETINGS 2016

The final Guild Board Meeting of the year will take placeon 10 November.

As usual, the meeting will be held at Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, London, starting at 2pm.

Prior to the meeting, Chairman, Chris Papworth, andsome members of the Board will be available in the coffeeshop from 12 mid-day if any members would like an informal chat.

All welcome

Philip Jones 31.11.1937 – 9.05.2016Philip Jones founder of P R Jones, Watchmakers and Jewellers of Macclesfield, Cheshirehas died. He began working as an apprentice watchmaker in Macclesfield, while studyingat Openshaw Technical College. He then went to London and started with the RolexWatch company as an improver and continued his studies at Hackney gaining hisCMBHI. After National Service he returned to Rolex, now in Bexley, before joiningOmega in London.

In 1962 he returned to Macclesfield and became self-employed, initially carryingout trade repairs and subsequently opening a retail shop in 1964. After several years histwo sons joined the business and it expanded to three shops. Philip was never happierthan when he was sitting at his bench repairing watches – he continued to work mostdays until the final month of his life.

A MEMORABLE DAY

I want to thank you for organising a very good Guild visit up BigBen followed by the tour around the Houses of Parliament.

We all had a wonderful and enjoyable time with an extra bonusin having the ‘Carer of the Clock’, Paul Roberson, with us to givean interesting talk on the daily running of the clock.

I would also like to thank the two lady guides, Catherine Mossand Lindsay Schusman for their dedicated talk and detailed explanation of the operation of the Great Clock and the twohouses. They gave us a considerable length of their time.

There was a general agreement on how nice it would be if anexample or preferably one of the original gas lights was left ondisplay behind a dial for the public to see and appreciate.

Can I also take this opportunity too to credit Jayne Hall for thelayout and topics in the new TimePiece. The articles are very goodand interesting.

Thank you again for a memorable day. My guest William Hallalso thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

Julian S F Cosby

BWCMG ANNUAL TRIP TO WESTMINSTER – A HUGE SUCCESS

Sixteen members and guests enjoyed a fascinating Guild day outin London in July enjoying tours of both Big Ben and the Housesof Parliament.

Tour guide Catherine Moss shared her wealth of knowledgeas she led the party up the Elizabeth Tower to view the GreatClock of Westminster and the bell, Big Ben. Once at the topGuild member, Paul Roberson, who looks after this Great Britishlandmark, gave more facts and figures on what makes the clocktick. This is perhaps one of the last times that members will havea chance to visit the clock tower as refurbishments start in thenew year.

After a welcome cup of tea, it was then time for LindsaySchusman to take over as she guided us around Parliament passing on her immense historical knowledge.

A big thank you to everyone who made the day possible, including our own Secretary Bob Moir, who organised the trip.

Jayne Hall

Guild members and guests are pictured in front of the Great Clock ofWestminster during the afternoon tour.

The following members of the trade have applied for membership of theGuild and have had their application accepted.

M Leathers NORFOLK

J Hatt LONDON

S Boakes EAST SUSSEX

14

Our work methods are especially designed to assistyou in giving the very best to your customers.

30 Rose Street, Wokingham Berkshire, RG40 1XU Tel: 0118 375 8883 Mob: 07917 406486 Email: info@orawatch.co.uk www.orawatch.co.uk

Shuajb Berisha MBHI Watch and Clock Specialist

OCCL

TMEARDEPPARCK

BEZELSBELL STAND & NUTBELLSBELLOWSBELL HAMMER

ENT

Z) NICAL)

& DOTS

Z BOX

S

E O

S

IN ENDS

)

YS

S

S

E PARTS

GS

KITS S

DIAL & CHAPTER RINGSCUCKOO PARTSCRUTCH BLANKCOUNTERWEIGHTCONVERSION CHAIN KITSCOIL / SPIRAL SPRINGSCLICK SPRINGSCLICKSCHAINSCASE STABILIZERSCASE MOUNTINGSCASE FURNITUREBUSHESBEZELS

HAND SETTERS & KEYSHAND NUTSHAND & DIAL COLLETSGONGSGONG HAMMERGLASSESGATHERING PALLETSFRENCH CLOCK PARTSFIXING PINSFINIALSESCUTCHEONSESCAPEMENT SETSENGLISH DIAL / FUSEE PARTSDOMES

MOVEMENTS HERMLEMOVEMENTS, CUCKOOMOUNTING BRACKETSMAINSPRINGSLONGCASE PARTSLOCKS & KEYSLINESKEYSKEY HOLDERSHOOKS, RINGS & CHAIN ENDSHINGESHANDS (QUARTZ)HANDS (MECHANICAL)HAND WASHERS

PINION BLANKSPILLAR CAPSPENDULUMS (QUARTZPENDULUMS (MECHANPENDULUM HOOKPALLETSNUMERALS, BATONS & DOTSMOVEMENT STRAPMOVEMENTS, QUARTZMOVEMENTS, MUSIC BOXMOVEMENTS, MAINSMOVEMENTS, INSERTSMOVEMENTS, INDIANMOVEMENTS, HERMLE

WIRE COILWEIGHTS & WEIGHT SVIENNA REGULATOR TTEMPUS FUGIT PLAQUSUSPENSIONSSPANDRELSSCREWSRIVETSRATCHET WHEELSRACK SPRINGSQUICK PIVOTSPULLEYSPLATFORMSPINS

CH E

HELLS TOPS UES

ADSAME

CTAATDESPYAAYY MOREPLUS MAN

WIRE COIL

For some the future can seem bleak. Financial worries, mixedwith health concerns can bring depression and despair.

need of help. The trustees, all of whom have many years of experience in the trade, meet regularly and personally oversee all applications.

in the trade and you want their future to seem brighter, please contact us, or pass them our details. Help to make a difference in their lives.

The Secretary, 19 Illett Way, Faygate, W Sussex, RH12 0AJ020 8288 9559 sec@nbswcm.org

The National Benevolent SocietyOf Watch And Clock Makers

Your Trade CharityHereTo Help

Helping Those Who Served The Trade

15

J. Malcolm WildManufacturer of Special & Traditional Tools

for Clock and Watch MakersMainspring winder, pivot & jacot tool, clockmaker’s staking set, fusee cuttingtool, centring microscope, escapement matching & depthing tool, finger plateclamp, cutting & smoothing broaches, milling & drilling spindle, pivot file &

burnisher, lapping & polishing tools, small diameter turning tool...

For full details available of these and many more www.j-m-w.co.uk

J. Malcolm Wild FBHI, 12 Norton Green Close, Sheffield, S8 8BPTel: 0114 274 5693

Email: malcolm@j-m-w.co.uk

Church and Public Clock SpecialistsReports and quotations are undertaken free of charge

and without obligation within the UK

Tel/Fax: 01768 486933Email: info@clockmaker.co.ukWebsite: www.clockmaker.co.uk

WHEEL & PINION CUTTINGEscape wheels, train

wheels, arbors (rough and finished), mo-tionwork, etc, either from

stock or to pattern.Clock repair and restora-

tion.Write or phone for prices.

CLARKE & JONES5 Hall Farm Buildings, Hempnall, Norwich, NR15 2LJTel/Fax: 01508 498939Mobile: 07968 259452

Antique Clock & Watch DialRestoration and Repair

Bracket/Longcase/Wall Clocks &Watches– Dial Re-Painting and Re-Silvering

Carriage/French Clocks & Watches– Dial Re-Enamelling and Painting

Contact: Mark Rowe MBHIWest Dean Trained BADA Certified

Tel: 020 8605 0331Email: ma.rowe@btopenworld.com

www.theclockgallery.co.uk

PAINTED DIAL RESTORATION

Robert B. Loomes FBHI

Family business since 1966. Prompt turnaround.

4 Saint Mary’s Hill, Stamford, PE9 2DWTel: 01780 481319

Email: robertloomes@gmail.comwww.dialrestorer.co.uk

THE COMPLETE GILDING SERVICE TO THE HOROLOGICAL TRADE

Refinishing & BurnishingSatin & Polished Gilding

Replacement of Missing Pieces(Over 30 years experience)

RAY WALTON (SILVERSMITH)CREEK CREATIVE, 1 ABBEY STREET,

FAVERSHAM, KENT, ME13 7BETEL: 01795 538674

www.raywaltonsilversmith.co.uk

High Quality Barograph Charts Drum size 3 1⁄2” high x 3 11⁄16” diam.Mon or Sun start. Inch calibration

1 years supply (52 charts) £16.00 inc p&p2 years supply (104) charts) £26.00 inc p&p

Send cheque with order made payable to L. A. BLOWESL. A. Blowes, PO Box 6625, LONDON, E7 8RR

CLOCKWHEELSWheel and Pinion cutting to pattern or drawing using

Swiss CNC machines, longcase ‘scape and date wheels always in stock

30 Years Experience to Trade & Public2 Meadow Close, Beetley, Dereham, Norfolk, NR20 4SRTel: 01362 860545 Email: richard@rfcharman.plus.com

1616

Administrator’s Desk

GUILD DIRECTORS: Chairman: Chris Papworth MBHI; ImmediatePast Chairman: Paul Roberson FBHI; Vice Chairman: Robert Moir;Treasurer: Lionel Blowes FBHI; Honorary Secretary: Robert Moir; VicePresidents: Angus Matheson, Lionel Blowes, William Hill, Jean Jones;Directors: Manny Bramsden, Robert Ball, Shuajb Berisha; ChristianDanneman; Roy Hunt, David Pay, Keith Scobie-Youngs; Howard Vyse;TimePiece and Web Editor Jayne Hall.

Guild Communications to: Robert Moir, 26 Knights Close, Windsor,Berks, SL4 5QR. Tel: 07955 192263. Email: sec@bwcmg.org Website:www.bwcmg.org

The British Watch & Clock Makers’ Guild is a Company Limited byGuarantee. Registered in England & Wales No 4613321. RegisteredOffice: 1 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4BZ.

Copyright © 2016 The opinions expressed herein are not necessarilythose of the officers and council of the Guild and no responsibility isaccepted for the content of any article or advertisement. No article maybe reproduced without prior permission being obtained.

Printed and distributed by: MYPEC, 10 Festoon Rooms, Sunny BankMill, Farsley, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 5UJ.

Green BookGuild members will probably be wondering why they have received a second copy of the Green Book with this issue of TimePiece.

Unfortunately there was a collating problem at the printersand we quickly found out that some booklets, but not all, hadpagination problems. The problem occured after Page 45 whenPage 44 popped up again instead of Page 46. This meant that information on Page 44 (web addresses) was repeated but the‘list of members’ on Page 46 had disappeared completely.

We quickly contacted the printers who accepted responsibilityand agreed to reprint the whole booklet again. We agreed thiswas the best course of action as we had no way of knowing howmany booklets were affected.

So, if you find your Green Book is faulty, please throw it inthe bin or better still recycle it. If you have a perfect copy, wellyou now have two, so please enjoy it or pass it on to someonewho may benefit from it.

While we are on the subject of the Green Book, before westart to prepare next year’s edition, we wanted to ask members ifthey are happy with its content or if there is something else theywould like to see within its pages.

We will soon be preparing the questionaires from which wetake the information, so please do speak up now.

Guild MeetingsJust a reminder that everyone is welcome to attend the GuildBoard Meetings which are held at Friends House, 173-177 EustonRoad, London, starting at 2pm.

The final meeting for the year takes place on Thursday 10November. Guild Chairman, Chris Papworth, and some membersof the Board will be available in the coffee shop from 12 mid-dayif any members would like an informal chat.

Robert MoirEmail: sec@bwcmg.org

Robert MoirHonorary Secretary

DIARY

September6-10 HKTDC Hong Kong Watch& Clock Fair11 Brunel Clock and Watch Fair,Sports Hall, Brunel University,Uxbirdge, UB8 3PN18 Northern Clock and WatchFairs, Haydock Park, M6 Junction23/A580www.clockandwatchfairs.co.uk

October9 Essex Watch and Clock Fair,Marks Tey, Colchester.22 West Country HorologicalTrust 25th Auction, Exeter School,EX2 4NS. www.bhiswbranch.co.uk30 Midlands Clock and WatchFair, National Motorcycle Mu-seum, Solihull, B92www.clockandwatchfairs.co.uk

November6 West Country Clock & WatchFairs, Taunton Holiday Inn, M5 Jct25, Deane Gate Avenue, Taunton,

Somerset, TA1 2UA. 9am-3pm.10 BWCMG Meeting, FriendsHouse, 173-177 Euston Road,London. 2pm.www.westcountryclockfairs.co.uk20 Northern Clock and WatchFairs, Haydock Park, M6 Junction23/A580www.clockandwatchfairs.co.uk

December11 Brunel Clock and Watch Fair,Sports Hall, Brunel University,Uxbirdge, UB8 3PN18 Northern Clock and WatchFairs, Haydock Park, M6 Junction23/A580.

DEVELOPING THE GUILD WEBSITE

2017 CALENDAR

If you have already planned yourhorological event for 2017 pleaselet us know so we can advertise ithere and on the Guild website assoon as possible.

The Guild website was launched in January this year andhas been warmly received. We try our best to keep it up todate with interesting content but are always looking for suggestions on how to improve it.

At the moment the ‘Find a Repairer’ section only liststhe Guild members who have website addresses. One member pointed out that those who don’t have a websitemay be missing out on valuable work and asked if emailsand telephone numbers could be included too.

The Board think this is the way forward and would liketo start introducing this facility in the new year. It wouldwork on an ‘Opt Out’ system, whereby Name, Telephone Number, Email and Web Address (where appli-cable) would automatically appear on the ‘Find a Repairer’section unless you ask us not to publish it.

When we send out the forms asking for contact detailupdates, around Christmastime, we will ask you to stateyour preference.