SEHBAC have launched a new conservatory advert for Spring 2010 promoting their conservatory sale. Made by the people at Stone Productions, it has started airing and will continue thorughout spring.

Chris Mole MP meets apprentice Adam Locke at SEHBAC factory

East Anglian home improvement company, SEHBAC, has been a major employer in Suffolk and Essex since the early 1970s and has recently embarked on a programme of positive youth employment by employing apprentices from the National Apprenticeship Service as part of SEHBAC’s 75-strong workforce.

To recognise SEHBAC ‘s contribution to the region, local MP Chris Mole visited SEHBAC’s show centre at Olympus Close, Ipswich on 19th February to meet two young apprentices where he called on more Suffolk businesses to use the apprenticeship scheme.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just a quick note to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year from all of us at SEHBAC!

We’re proud to announce that this Christmas SEHBAC’s charity will be Have a Heart.

Have a Heart is the charitable arm of Heart FM.

Through the fundraising support of it’s listeners and companies like SEHBAC, Have a Heart award grants to registered charities and voluntary groups working with children and young people in the local area.

Their primary focus is on local projects which address particular needs in our local community. Typically they support projects to support those who are experiencing poverty, disadvantage, abuse, neglect, homelessness, violence, crime or those who live with an illness or disability.

On the 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th of December we’re turning our show centres at Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford and Romford into Christmas Grottos.

Come along with the whole family - the children can visit Santa and get their photograph taken, and the adults can get into the festive spirit with a glass of mulled wine. There’ll be plenty of mince pies to go around too! We do hope that you’ll come down and join in the fun.

The event is completely free of course, but we will be collecting for the Have a Heart charity - it’s for a great cause and with your help we hope to really make a difference to the lives of children and young people in our local community.

Poor PVC-U - it seems people never tire of bashing it. Over the years various claims have been made about the environmental credentials of PVC-U.

However, perhaps the times they are a changin’ - as Martin Randall, the Chairman of Crystal Direct has created a new initiative to promote the benefits of PVC-U with his new fact sheet: The Truth about PVC-U - Facts & Fibs.

As a consumer it can be really hard to know what to believe, so this new fact sheet really is a great resource. It’s been compiled using a variety independent sources including - Reco Vinyl; Vinyl 2010; PVC Awareness; BPF; PVC Aware; Public Sector News Line; & Friends of the Earth.

The factsheet aims to debunk the myths (or indeed ‘fibs’) we are told about PVC-U and instead present the facts. Highlights include:

Fib: PVC-U Cannot be Recycled

Fact: PVC compounds are 100% recyclable, in fact PVC-U can be recycled over and over again. In 2007 the UK recycled more than 42,000 tonnes of used PVC-U windows and doors.

Fib: PVC-U is dangerous

Fact: Numerous independent studies have been undertaken by such bodies as the World Health Organisation and the European Union, which have repeatedly shown that the material is safe.

“Ministers have made clear that independent evidence such as that from Professor Rappe, the independent scientific advisor to the EU and World health Organisation, demonstrated that PVC is a safe material” - John Battle MP, former Minister of State for Science, Energy and Industry.

Fib: Manufacturing PVC-U harms the environment

Fact: A typical European PVC production plant would have to operate for 30,000 years to produce the same amount of dioxins released into the atmosphere during bonfire night!

“The balance of evidence suggests that there is no alternative material to PVC in it’s major product applications that has less overall effect on the environment.” - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

Fib: Alternative materials are just as good as PVC-U when it comes to energy-saving and durability.

Fact: PVC-U is far more thermally efficient than alternative materials and the PVC-U industry is at the forefront of the development of energy efficient window frames. In addition to this, the Building Research Establishment estimates that a typical PVC-U window will have a lifespan of 35 years.

Download the fact sheet in full here - it’s definitely an eye-opening read!