New Workshop Open For Business – Our state-of-the-art new workshop was officially opened last November and since then we have been busy making full use of the extra space and facilities it provides. After many months of careful planning, construction work on the fully insulated steel building was completed on schedule and on budget in just 22 weeks and a wooden Broom Captain was the first of many craft to be moved in and worked on.
The new workshop in full use in winter:
The big move into the new workshop went smoothly and after two big clear-outs all the equipment fits nicely inside, with plenty of space to manoeuvre around the woodworking machines. The store is now located upstairs and the new layout has also allowed us to have a varnishing and painting area on the mezzanine floor.
Broads Authority – Throughout the winter we have been completing the winter maintenance on four Broads Authority patrol launches as part of a contract which we bid for and won back in 2014. Some of the launches are nearly 40 years old and although they are in very good shape, they leave us in a much better condition!
Workshop Evening Event – We would like to invite all our berth holders and customers to an evening get-together from 6pm on 4th July 2015 in the new workshop. This is for us to say thank you for putting up with the disruption last year and it is also an excuse to have a get together in the new workshop. Drinks and light refreshments will be provided. To give us an indication of how many people will be attending, please could you drop us an e-mail.
Car Parking – Please read this section carefully. The main doors of the workshop now face south into the car park and because they are same colour as the sides of the workshop, they are not always immediately obvious, despite the ‘no parking’ signs we have installed. PLEASE be careful and do not park either in front of, or near to, the doors as this will prevent us from moving boats around. There is now plenty of additional space for parking near the crane and on that side of the car park.
Dinghy Park – Last year this was so full it was tight for space, so we have now changed how the boats are stored. The whole dinghy park is numbered and the larger boats are at the front, with the small tenders down the far end. This is the best way to utilise the space to give everyone maximum enjoyment of both the dinghy park and the Broad.
Retirement – We are sorry to announce that Lillian Smith is retiring from her accounts role in the office. She has been a tremendous asset to the business since 1998, always working hard in the background to ensure that the office and the books are kept in great order. She has always stepped in to help out when needed, despite an ever-increasing workload, and has ensured that everything runs like clockwork, with every single penny accounted for. She has been absolutely fantastic to work with and I will miss her greatly. I am pleased to say that she will occasionally still be helping out in a different role.
Office Staff – (We are pleased to welcome Maggie Rhodes as Lillian’s replacement in the office. Maggie has recently left from working in a very busy admin department. She now has the enormous job of getting to know the boats and customers, so I hope everyone will support her in her new role. Maggie has been a member of the Norfolk Punt Club for many years and so will be a familiar face to many of the berthholders.
Codes – The shower/toilet block and dinghy park code will be changed at the beginning of April to a new number.
Customer Feedback – The completed forms have been a great help to us and we very much appreciate your replies. Please keep sending us your comments, whether they are positive or negative, as this helps us improve the service we offer.
Launching – We will be working to the dates which you supplied on our winter maintenance forms. If you are unsure of your date, or would like to change it due to Easter being early, please contact the office.
I just want to end by saying that I hope you all have a great summer and that the weather is as kind as it was last year.
Eric Bishop (Manager)