Atwood School - my big thank you

Rarely am I in a position to do something really worthwhile which is why I ceased the bull by the horns at Atwood Primary School. Both my children attended the school and the atmosphere there is one of harmony and unity. When my daughter left at the end of 2007 I was heart broken and I miss the place awfully.

Luckily, just before the summer of 2007, Alex Clarke, the head teacher, asked me to come in to discuss the possibility of shading the huge atrium roof that loomed large over the infant's hall. They'd toyed with the idea of shading the outside, the inside and any other side that you care to mention and had exhausted all avenues - not to mention scary quotations from other companies. It needed a fresh approach and so they called me in...

Immediately, once the briefing had been given, it was clear that the roof space itself could be ignored entirely and that shade could be achieved without needing to go anywhere near the glass. What was more important to me was that the vent windows would remain totally untouched and operational and that the awnings would be installed at a much lower height, aiding maintenance and installation. We designed a bracket that would hang on to the horizontal roof beams and set about creating a Thunderbirds/James Bond style opening and closing roof. There would be gaps around the perimeter, but these could be addressed as or when needed and with great ease*

I spent 2 days on a 5m high platform, drilling and tapping 48 holdes in to 10mm thick metal and after which another day bolting on the brackets and awning tracks. I then called upon the help of my father and two ex-pupils (my son Kris and his friend Ben - who impressed so much that he was later set to work for me full time) as we lifted the heavy awnings in to place. Once up there, which was a task and a half, we quickly tensioned the fabric and the awnings worked brilliantly. I visited the school recently and am happy to say they're still looking good.