John Brash & Co. has won an award for the use of its shingles on a project for National Trust for Scotland at the National Federation of Roofing Contractors’ (NFRC) Scottish Roofing Contractor of the Year Awards.
The Gainsborough-based company’s western cedar shingles were used on the refurbishment of two culturally significant cottages within the grounds of Culzean Castle and Country Park near Maybole in Ayrshire.
The cottages were originally built for ex-servicemen following World War II by funds raised by the Ayrshire Federation of the Scottish Women’s Rural Institute. They are still used today as housing through the Scottish Veterans’ Garden City Association’s Houses for Heroes scheme.
As part of the renovation of the cottages, which included damp proofing and re-plastering, Kilmarnock-based DM Roofing & Roughcasting won the contract to replace the original shingles from when the cottages were built in the early 1950s.
It was a requirement of the project to use like-for-like materials, and John Brash & Co.’s products were the ideal choice – especially as it is one of a handful of European shingle suppliers that are members of the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau (CSSB), which is a Canadian-based, non-profit organisation that champions the worldwide Certi-Label standard of quality for cedar shingles and shakes.
Grant O’Donnell, regional sales manager at John Brash & Co. has said that the award is a coup for the UK manufacturer of graded timber roofing battens, shingles and shakes, scaffold boards, and commercial anti-slip decking.
Grant was on hand to receive the award – along with contractor Dougie Mabon from DM Roofing & Roughcasting – from BBC Scotland newsreader Catriona Shearer.
Grant commented: “This is another big feather in the cap for us, as it highlights that John Brash & Co. is the first port of call on prestigious projects such as the cottages in the grounds of National Trust for Scotland’s Culzean Castle.
“The award also gives us great pride to know that our products are being used on important projects such as the Houses for Heroes scheme, which provides invaluable support for ex-servicemen.”
The award for shingles was part of the sustainability section of the ceremony held in Glasgow.
