Spring Working Meet 18th-19th March

Hi all,
it’s some way away yet, but a date for all your diaries: the Spring Working Meet is being held on the 18th-19th March. The early notice is to ask for help…

We are planning on replacing the roof on the shed which is sagging and not waterproof. We want to replace the whole roof, so stripping off the current slates and their moss-forest, and taking off all the timber, then mortaring up the top of the walls, building a new roof frame, felting and slating. This will make our third property watertight and safe and mean we can store more of the tools and materials in there, making the Cottage tidier and giving more room for rucksacks in the hall.

It is however a big job, and will take more than two days to complete, so I’m asking now if there are any members with building skills or experience who can help over the weekend, and any members that can come up for a long weekend to make sure we get the shed watertight. There are a range of jobs, from cleaning slates, treating timber and mixing mortar, to stripping the roof and building the new roof frame. Help would be very much appreciated so we can get this sorted and watertight. I am hoping that we can have a dedicated team working on the shed, it will be hard work and full days, but hopefully will be satisfying!

There are plenty of other jobs on the list for the main weekend -we’ll be building a new wood store and path, demolishing the old wood shed, splitting and stacking timber, laundry, cleaning and painting, electrical and woodworking jobs, and a host of little snags to sort out to keep the Barn and Cottage in top condition. All members are welcome, it is usually a good weekend with a good atmosphere, good food and plenty of climbing plans made. The club will provide a communal meal on the Saturday night, and bacon/veggie rolls for Saturday and Sunday breakfast,
look forward to seeing you there,

Chiz
Hut Warden

Hi Chiz
I’m hoping to get up on Thursday or Friday morning at the latest (family and work allowing!).
If so I could get the ‘demo’ phase advanced if that would help?
I feel this may be where my skills are best utilised :grinning:
Richard

Hi Richard, that would be excellent, depending on work/family we could drive up together although that depends on when you need to get back down?
We need to do a quick RAMS for the weekend, specifically for the shed work, but also to act as a standard working meet RAMS, but that should be no more than a page or two of tasks and mitigations.
It would be really good to get the demo and prep work done ahead of the weekend. Initial tasks are:

  • clearing a safe working space around the shed by moving the scrap, concrete blocks and loose rubble from the side of shed (can be done any time if anyone had a spare hour up there…)
  • tools, timber, lime mortar and felt needs carrying up the hill (hopefully the track will be fixed by then and CL Jones can get their wagon up the hill some way…lime and felt can stay in my van til weekend if required), we only really need to get the purlins up before saturday
  • treating new timber for woodworm
  • strip the moss and old slates off the roof, stacking the slates for cleaning on saturday
  • taking out the old timber frame

There will also be the new woodstore prefab panels to take up, but that could stay on my van til the Saturday.

If we could get all that done ahead of the weekend we would be in a very good place to set and mortar in the purlins and wall plates on the Saturday, muck goes off overnight, rafters on Sunday morning, and then felt and batten at least, possibly leaving the slating til later. Weatherboards to follow at later date.

Two of us will make a proper dent in the demo, but more volunteers for the Friday would really get us on track to finish on time. If anyone else is available -don’t have to be skilled builder, I’m not!!- please join us, I’m sure there will be budget for communal meals for the duration of the working party and it should be a good laugh

That sounds a great plan if possible - I’ll be in touch separately once negotiations have been concluded!

Happy to draft a set of RAMS for comment.

Sounds like there should be plenty to keep us going.
If others are interested we’ll be happy share - I can vouch for the weekend being a laugh and it’s always good to give something back :wink:

Excellent, you know what we need for the general working meet RAMS, I can sketch out a MS for the shed as I know the planned works.

I’ll post more info nearer the date, but if anyone else can come and help early, or confirm they can come for the two days that would be really good to know. We’re trying to get a big job done that will really benefit the club, so hoping for a decent turnout,
cheers

Hi Chiz and Richard
I’m fairly handy with building work and would like to come and help out. Could be free to come up on the Thursday too but will know for sure nearer the time.
Cheers
John

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I will definitely be there too! @mhobby1979 is pretty handy and has experience building shed’s and things. If he ever figures out how to use chat I am sure he’d offer himself.

cheeky @jo_keogh! :wink:
yup - we’ll be there! have some experience of building stuff - happy to help!
Cheers
mAtt

Hi @mhobby1979, @jo_keogh and @johnw1, that’s great, thanks! The more skilled/semi-skilled people who can come up and help the better, especially if anyone can get up on the Thurs/Fri to get things ready, but there are jobs for everyone, whether they have any practical experience or not.

The last couple of working meets have been a good laugh, with excellent communal food (breakfasts and evening meal) and everyone has (said they) enjoyed themselves, and we have got loads of work done and made a big difference to the huts. If we get the jobs finished then we can go off climbing for most of the Sunday, but the shed work will take both days so the core team working on that will probably not be able to get away. If anyone can get up earlier in the week to help that would be fantastic and we should be able to provide communal food for that (awaiting confirmation at Wednesday’s committee).

If anyone else can come along please let me know on here or by email, and then I can plan the jobs lists and make sure we have the right tools/materials. I’d also like to have a couple of members who can coordinate work at the cottage, and at the barn, as I’ll probably be busy at the shed. We also need volunteers for cooking and helping prepare the food on Saturday/Sunday mornings and Saturday evening.

So far we have myself,
@richard_young (possibly early)
@mhobby1979,
@jo_keogh,
@johnw1 (possibly early)
But we could do with as many members as can spare the time.
and I’m sure there are a couple of professional builders in the club…
cheers

Chiz

Me too - should be at the cottage for a couple of weeks around then.
Definitely no experience. Just drinking. Oh, and dancing.

ace! Be good to have you up there…

You can meet all the deliveries :wink:

Dear Workers of the World.

Bob Adams and I (Allen Bordoley) are hoping to attend the working meet.
There will of course be tea and tea buns in bed in the morning before work
commences.
Due to our combined age, hard or little manual work will be non compliant

  • so I will make the tea, coffee, ovaltine, horlicks etc for the tired
    bedraggled wurkors. I werse thinking of carrying some logs into the lounge
    ready for the evening burn up and crackling toes.

With best wishes.

ps. My 83 rd birthday this Saturday.(18th). Also I now join Bob Adams on
the 23 rd Feb this year of being a member of the club for 60 years. (Bob
reached his 60th in Sept or October last year…). Cost of membership was
5/- ( 25p) then and a few weeks later they made me a full member and it
cost 7/6d (35p in todays money). Not bad for a years membership. ps and
newsletters every month…(slight dig…)
received membership card and micro newsletter. Thanks.)

Dear Allen and Bob, wonderful news that you hope to come, and congratulations on your birthday and to you both for your 60 years at NLMC!
The club will be providing a breakfast of bacon/veggie rolls before we start work each day, but tea and buns sounds very civilised. Milk three sugars please!
Provision of tea and gentle heckling will be much appreciated, looking forward to it,
best wishes

Chiz

Happy birthday Allen!
I hope the club will be providing a (belated) birthday cake with sufficient
candles at the working meet.

Happy birthday Bordy. Sorry I wont see you at at the working meet. They always organise them when I’m off,in this case skiing the 3 valleys.cheers,Peter

Hello all. I’m afraid I won’t be able to make this one as I’ll be in Scotland wishing for snow…

Hi Sam, thanks for letting us know, and I hope you get your wish, not too much, not too little, but just right neve!

See you at the next working meet :wink:

I’ll be there as well! I can leave in the evening of Friday to be back on the evening on Sunday - usual stuff. Most probably will look for a lift.

I am not a pro but have some experience with works around the house - woodwork, building and in extreme case some welding (used to weld an exhaust pipe for my old car :smile: ).

Thanks! I think its unlikely but as its been such non-existent winter conditions in the UK this year surely we’re due some… :wink:

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It does seema particularly rubbish winter, so here’s hoping!

@Vilius, great to have you on board, we will sort lifts etc nearer the date. Any skills or aptitude is great, but there will be jobs for all