DECEMBER 2007

Pendlewood are pleased to announce the arrival of Camelot and Minilot.

After much new development and working with educators and early years practitioners, the range is now in full production and comprises fully inclusive play/discovery structures.

The Minilot is focused on our tiniest of clients and is suitable for ages from 2 to 6 years. Exciting and stimulating, the Minilot opens up a new world of adventure for your youngest of pupils.

Handcrafted from sustainably produced Redwood timber which is Tanalith E treated for long life and low maintenance.

The Camelot, for the more adventurous, is designed specifically for ages 5 to 11 years. A multi-use play and educational structure that combines fun with learning, encouraging activity and developing co-ordination.

Alan Pendlebury, Managing Director Pendlewood Limited, comments on the teams' success in 2007

"The New workshop proved to be a great success with our clients and team members. Production times have reduced and a massive sales increase helped us to have the strongest year in our history."

"The new products launched this last year have taken us into new markets and fields. We continue to invest in new technologies and people, developing new products that have excited our clients to euphoric levels."

"Our new designers and workshop manager have added their own special twinkle of glitter to our great range of school play equipment."

"Pendlewood 's largest 'access for all' project yet for the combined special schools of Moorefield - Sherburne and The Elms, pooled the ideas of our designers and some very special pupils to give us our biggest challenge yet, to meet all their desires, including a moving bridge, twisting ramps, chicanes and undulating bridges."

"The students and the teams at the schools wanted to be extreme, to climb their own 'Everest' and take their wheelchairs off the straight and narrow and up into the clouds."

"The excited students couldn't wait for the structures to be unveiled.

On the pre-handover trails we heard the yell "Wow - I'm now extreme!". Managing director Alan Pendlebury is quoted - "that yell of excitement and the smiles to go with it made 'access for all' worth while - every pupil does matter here at Pendlewood. Special thanks go to the test pilots and staff who, without their death defying trials at our premises, the playground would not have been such a success".

NEW STREET FURNITURE BROCHURE

January sees the launch of our exciting new brochure.

It is action packed with new designs and creations that will augment our already impressive range of street furniture.

As you will be aware, we are an eco-friendly company. To complement that value, we now offer our brochure in a downloadable PDF format - the option is yours, we still can send you a copy on sustainably produced paper.

FSC Timber

As one of the founder FSC wood working companies in the UK, we are proud to announce that 2008 will be a bumper year for production using our FSC approved timbers, Assuring our clients of a truly sustainable source of timbers.

HIGH SEAS ADVENTURES FOR 2008

Keep a look out for our new nautical themed discovery structures.

Themed on a galleon style structures.

The Discovery range is focused on ages from 5 to 11 years, with discovery and educational stimulation built into every timber.

The flagship of the range is 'The Intrepid' pirate ship. Filled with mystical, nautical adventure entwined with educational stimulus.

VICTORY TRAVERSING WALL

Handcrafted in the shape of a galleon ship, with action packed adventure for your intrepid nautical adventurers to stretch their muscles and imaginations all in one.

A big THANK YOU to all our new and existing clients who just keep our imaginations flowing.

Alan Pendlebury

MANAGING DIRECTOR

PENDLEWOOD BENCHES CONFORM

Further to the recent upset of locals after the new health & safety rules have come to light in Nottinghamshire regarding memorial benches in Bramcote Crematorium that do not meet current regulations (read article here), we at Pendlewood are proud to say that our benches have always conformed to the DDA regulations and height requirements for memorial benches.

Read more

EARLY YEARS & PRIMARY TEACHING EXHIBITION

We have been bowled over with the positive comments and quality of enquiry recieved at the recent Early Years & Primary Teaching exhibition at the Manchester GMEX. Over the two days our displays created a plethera of compliments from all who visited us. We were most amazed that we were one of the only school play companies that still handcrafted specific products in Great Britain (UK).

Many thanks to everyone who visited our stand and for making the event for our team, fun and enjoyable. Especially a Spanish teacher who wanted to take our dragon back to Spain for her pupils to enjoy. I don’t think Easijet would have been pleased with a 2m high dragon as hand luggage!
For those unfortunate to have missed the show - please ask for our School Play brochure for your total exterior experience.

Alan Pendlebury - Managing Director

Millennium DDA bench seating

Under the cover of darkness in the closed surroundings of the new Manchester Arndale Centre, Pendlewood Installation Team successfully accomplished a covert installation of Millennium bench seats fitted without detection. The public, oblivious to the intrusion, are now able to rest on these prestigious pieces of furniture within the Winter Garden area. Manufactured from quality hardwood timber and tubular stainless steel, this innovative design was commissioned by Chapman Taylor architects and The Prudential to be a discernable feature with long-life durability and fully inclusive by design.

Click here to view the Millenium DDA details

PENDLEWOOD RELOCATION UPDATE – JANUARY 2007

We have now moved to our new premises. Click here to read more and view our photos of the big move!!

Our new workshop floor!

BACK TO OUR ROOTS

Pendlebury is a long standing Lancashire name that has always been associated with Master Craftsmen, creating masterpieces from humble roots.

Alan Pendlebury and his company Pendlewood are proud to continue the family name and tradition.

After much research into our family roots., the research found that the name was associated with another master craftsman who pulled himself up by his boot straps, to create a great Lancashire company creating organs to compete with the world.

Thomas Pendlebury was born in a poor area of Lancashire and came from a background of smallholding farmers and coal-miners in the 18th century. Along with many other artisans of the day he strove to increase his education and position by making use of the local Mechanics' Institutes and Technical Colleges. His continual thirst for knowledge and his inventive spirit led him, despite his working-class roots, to strive for recognition as a craftsman and to shake off the prejudicial epithet of "miner-organ builder".

He applied to serve as an apprentice with several organ builders. Having been rejected in each case he set out to teach himself. Later, having founded his own company in Leigh, Lancashire, he remarked "It's only the Boss who doesn't need an apprenticeship".

Pendlebury was later to attain a great reputation as a voicer of wooden string ranks. Noel Bonavia-Hunt described his 8ft. Violin as "truly remarkable" and considered that in this field he was a genius equal with Edmund Schulze. Pendlebury also amassed many testamonials from eminent organists who were impressed with his instruments.

Alan Pendlebury also found that his roots are very similar to his possible descendents, coming from a poor area of Lancashire but always having the dream of his own factory, designing and building great furniture and much more, making and designing masterpieces in a modern environment in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.

Some of our products include school playground equipment, street and park furniture as well as bespoke wooden furniture.  Pendlewood is keeping a great traditional craft based company in Lancashire which is our passion!  Creating world beating products is our creed!

“Love What You Do, Do What You Love!

PENDLEWOOD RELOCATION UPDATE – OCTOBER 2006

Managing Director Alan Pendlebury comments on the big move.

After many years of searching for the ideal location with all the facilities that we needed for future growth we have found it. 

The big move gives us a great opportunity to move into a new environment and area. 

Working in Skelmersdale will give us a great opportunity to grow and prosper and at the same time creating many new opportunities and careers in the area. 

The new work shop is light, spacious and modern creating an ideal location for our master craftsmen to fine tune their crafts and progress their careers to a new level.

The office staff will also get a new lease of life with modern, open plan offices and a new ‘Blue Room’ planned for our design team to escape to.  A ‘chill room’ and a modern, stylish canteen facility will also be available.

Taking into account our team’s needs, we have changed our manufacturing times to help our team achieve a better life / work balance.

Customers will also benefit from the move.  Our new location is central to all of our customers.  The new workshop will improve delivery and allow us to carry many more items in stock.

So the future is bright - the future is green for Pendlewood!

www.sapling.info

October 2006 saw the EDUscapes Ltd website gain a commendation review. Sapling.info is the Architecture, Planning & Landscape Information Gateway. As described by the editor Graham Soult:

“I'm particularly pleased to let you know that we have awarded your site a Sapling Commendation, given only to sites that display particular excellence.”

NEW GARDEN GEAR IS STOLEN

Thieves steal playground equipment from St George's Primary School, Lower Kersal...

Read the newspaper article by clicking here

END OF AN ERA

10 years on and the dream still grows!  We want the dream to continue to grow in Salford! 

Pendlewood Ltd has been based at Barton Aerodrome for the past 10 years and has grown from strength to strength.  We have created long-term jobs in an employment black spot developing highly skilled positions for long-term prosperity, proving that the ideals of Local Agenda 21 can produce ‘sustainable’ companies working with locally sourced resources.  Pendlewood is not supported by Local Government; we are self-funding through selling quality hardwood products.

There is, however a big problem for our future survival in Salford!  Our current site is being redeveloped by a property developer at the end of the year and we now face the problem of relocation and finding suitable premises in the area.

Despite contacting our local council etc there seems to be a distinct lack of suitable premises available to businesses like ourselves to buy or lease.  It is becoming increasingly apparent as we have tried to find premises that the council appear to be allowing businesses in the area to be bought out by property developers/speculators who in turn are building flats/apartments on the land acquired.  In the short term this is a lucrative deal for the council but in the long term this is having a major effect on industries and our communities in Salford. 

Businesses like ourselves need a solution – not a problem!  And the solution is to continue to provide training and employment opportunities in Salford for our future generations to benefit! 

Pendlewood Ltd will continue to trade but unfortunately it is looking very likely that it will not be in Salford.  We only hope that for future businesses that start up from our aspiring entrepreneur younger generation that provisions are made to keep local successful businesses within the area and promote inward investment

SAMANTHA DICKSON BRAIN TUMOUR TRUST – ASTRO FUND

Pendlewood are pleased to announce their commitment and support for the SDBTT Astro Fund with their proposed trek in the Brazilian Rainforest & Waterfalls next year.

The Brazilian Trek touches the team at Pendlewood as it links two of our favourite subjects:

• With our sustainable approach to reforestation and sustainable development through our products, the rainforest is part of what we are trying to protect.  The diversification of eco-tourism and sustainable timber production can help to save the ‘lungs’ of the planet
• Children with brain injuries and cancers are another cause close to the heart of Alan Pendlebury and the team at Pendlewood.  We care about our future generations’ well being, and putting something back into local good causes.
• Pendlewood are committed to our local communities and the global environment, developing products in natural sustainable timbers to enhance children’s lives through play and adventure, and we recognise that children are the future and should be protected…

So the Astro Fund charity’s ethos fits with us perfectly.

The trek will commence on 19th May 2007.  If you can help in any way with the above cause we would be extremely grateful.  It is possibly a dream of yours to visit the rainforest, with the added benefit of raising money for a very worthy cause.

For more information on SDBTT Astro Fund visit their website: www.astrofund.org.uk

API ACCREDITATION

2005 saw Pendlewood gain API (Association of Play Industry) Accreditation. Meaning that all our products are designed with safety in mind and are crafted to meet current BS EN regulations. This accreditation offers a piece of mind to clients as we abide by a stringent code of practice.

Door Step Green article – Street Seating for Housing Regeneration Scheme’s in Manchester.

Click link below to view article