CR Smith Versatile Conservatories. A new dimension to your home.

Gareth McCluskey, Marketing Manager at CR Smith, explains that conservatories can be used for a lot more than simply relaxing and watching the world go by.

He said: “Customers are often surprised by just how versatile a conservatory can be.

“It effectively adds another room to your house and the possibilities are endless.

“We have had several customers over the years who have transformed part of their conservatory into a working office or a dining space. For example, we had a music teacher who used hers as a classroom, a childminder in Inverness who opened up a nursery in hers and a hotel which added a new conservatory to house a restaurant.

“Our sales team will spend time getting to know their customers so as to achieve the perfect design Partitions, stairs or shaded windows can be added in order to create separate areas within the conservatory for different uses.

“A conservatory adds a whole new dimension to your home. I would advise anyone planning to get a conservatory to fully consider what they want from the room.”

Apprenticeships by CR Smith's Gerard Eadie

We have to invest in a strong, skilled workforce in Scotland if we are going to come out of this recession with any sort of advantage. And if young people are going to learn a proper trade, they should start life as an apprentice.

The decision to fund another 7,800 apprenticeships as part of the budget agreement should be applauded. But let's get this right.

In reality, employers create apprenticeships. And in current times can we expect companies to take on another 7,800 employees? During a recession, new apprenticeships are, in fact, often the first to suffer.

Currently, funding goes towards external exams and college fees, and I even question whether all the current college places for apprenticeships are taken up. So, if government is serious about thousands of additional apprenticeships it must make grants and incentives available to companies, big and small, to recruit, or this simply won't happen.

We then have to ask what type of apprenticeships we need. Gordon Brown recently announced that McDonald's would be one of the biggest providers of apprenticeships as part of his plan. But, do we really want to create a nation of burger bar managers?

Apprenticeships should be all about creating a new army of craftsmen and women who will become the engineers, mechanics, electricians, plumbers and joiners of tomorrow. We must train young people who will be capable of quality work to contribute towards building an infrastructure for an ambitious nation.

Gerard Eadie, Chairman. CR Smith, Gardeners Street, Dunfermline, Fife, KY12 0RN. Scotland.