What’s in a name? Why NARM is now The Rooflight Association
In early 2023, following consultation with member companies, the board of directors of NARM took the decision to consider re-branding the Association as The Rooflight Association –for a number of important reasons outlined in this issue of Leading Light.
In March 2023 at our General Meeting in Burton-onTrent, details of the plan were presented and approved.
Since then, we’ve been hard at work, developing and implementing the new brand, a new trading entity and a whole new membership structure, encompassing not only manufacturers, but also installers, distributors, specifiers and other professionals with involvement
in the UK’s rooflight industry. Reaction to our initial research amongst potential new membership groups has been extremely positive.
The Rooflight Association launched on Wednesday 19th July 2023.
Chairman Ian Weakford explains the strategy behind the change on page 2 of this issue of Leading Light.
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Ian Weakford explains our re-brand page 2
• Our new membership structure page 3
• Marketing update page 4
• Meet our new board member page 5
• New marketing team members page 4
NEWS
&
UPDATES FOR MEMBERS OF THE UK ROOFLIGHT INDUSTRY TRADE ASSOCIATION
LEADINGLIGHT
More than just a facelift...
Chairman Ian Weakford explains the strategy behind our re-brand
Our re-brand is so much more than just a new name and logo. It’s the result of a strategic decision to make fundamental changes which will affect the future of the organisation as well as our members and our industry.
THE INDUSTRY IS EVOLVING – WE MUST EVOLVE TOO
Legislation, standards and business practices are evolving at an increasing rate, due to political and technological factors. We need to strengthen our role in informing and influencing legislation and standards. We need to develop our ability to provide a lead on training and competency. We need to be in a position to ‘fight our corner’, as an industry facing change.
Check out our new website: www.rooflightassociation.org
WE NEED WIDER REPRESENTATION
The question was raised at a 2022 board meeting: “Are we truly ‘the voice of the rooflight industry’ as we claim – with a membership almost exclusively comprising manufacturers?” The decision was taken, that to fulfil our role, we needed to engage all aspects of the rooflight industry, from design & manufacture to specification, installation and beyond.
WE NEED TO GROW
For the moment, we remain largely dependent on member volunteers. This is limiting our growth and our ability to fulfil our aims. We therefore need to grow
our membership to increase our revenues. This will allow us to:
• Strengthen and increase support for our technical resources
• Develop additional services and member benefits
• Continue to enhance our position in regard of shaping legislation
• Raise awareness and grow membership further through increased marketing
The changes we’ve put in place address these objectives and will enable us to meet our goals in the coming years.
We look forward to working with you for a better rooflight industry.
2 LEADING LIGHT – NEWS & UPDATES FOR ROOFLIGHT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS
Attracting new members
Gaining a wider membership is crucial to our mission, so we’ve worked hard to plan attractive membership propositions for the different membership groups., as outlined below.
Membership propositions for each of these groups, plus a full overview of our work and our goals, are outlined in our new Membership Prospectus, which can be downloaded from the new website: www.rooflightassociation.org
Spread the word about Rooflight Association membership benefits to your clients, suppliers, installers and distributors!
FULL MEMBERSHIP
Full membership is open to manufacturers of rooflights, roof windows & daylight tubes and wholly owned subsidiaries operating in the UK.
INSTALLER MEMBERSHIP
Installer membership is open to roofing & building contractors and glazing installation businesses.
RA Membership Prospectus
ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP
Associate membership is open to specialist distributors of rooflighting products, suppliers and manufacturers of rooflight components, raw materials, and ancillary products, and architectural/survey/inspection practices operating in the UK
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
Individual Membership is open to specifiers, inspectors and consultants
LEADING LIGHT – NEWS & UPDATES FOR ROOFLIGHT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS 3
Spreading the word...
We’ve invested in an integrated campaign to launch The Rooflight Association and spread the word about membership benefits to manufacturers, installers, distributors, specifiers and other professionals with involvement in the UK’s rooflight industry.
The campaign comprises PR, advertising, social media and digital marketing via a wide range of relevant channels.
Examples from our integrated campaign
4 LEADING LIGHT – NEWS & UPDATES FOR ROOFLIGHT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS
SUMMER 2023 www.daylightingmag.co.uk A NEW ERA FOR THE UK’s ROOFLIGHT INDUSTRY NARM, the National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers, has re-launched as The Rooflight Association, with membership benefits now available to manufacturers, installers, specifiers, distributors and consultants. Read more on page 16. 36 PLUS: • SMARTER, BRIGHTER HOME DESIGN • HEALTH & WELLBEING IN THE WORKPLACE • ROOFLIGHTING IN REFURB NARM RE-LAUNCHES AS ‘THE ROOFLIGHT ASSOCIATION’ NARM, the National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers, has re-launched as The Rooflight Association. Previously under the NARM banner, the Association’s membership was focussed on manufacturing businesses. As the Rooflight Association, membership is now also open to rooflight installers, specifiers, distributors and others involved in the rooflight industry. Ian Weakford, Rooflight Association Chairman, explains: “Our mission is to support best practice and to ensure growth and sustainability in all sectors of our industry. To continue fulfilling this role in today’s landscape – and to truly be the voice of the UK’s rooflight industry as we claim – we need to embrace all aspects of rooflighting, from design and specification, through to installation and beyond”. The Rooflight Association will build on its illustrious past as NARM, expanding its work in serving member companies; shaping standards & legislation; supporting safe roof working practices; and providing authoritative, independent technical information for designers and specifiers. NEW MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES The Association has re-structured to offer four membership categories: • Manufacturer membership is open to UK rooflight manufacturers and wholly owned subsidiaries. • Associate membership is open to specialist distributors, architectural/survey/inspection practices; and rooflight component or ancillary manufacturers • Installer membership is open ro roofing and building contractors and glazing installation businesses • Individual personal membership is open to specifiers, installers, inspectors and consultants Each category has been assigned a carefully assembled package of member benefits, which are being promoted as ‘Tools to Build a Brighter Future’. These include: representation on influential industry committees and working groups; early access to legislative changes; marketing and profile building; learning opportunities; networking with like minded businesses and individuals and the ability to play a role in shaping the rooflight industry. INCREASED RESOURCES “We’re looking forward to welcoming new members to share our mission and values, in building a brighter future for the whole industry. Increased membership will allow us to expand our resources to meet the continual challenges of a rapidly evolving industry that’s subject to frequent and wide-ranging legislative changes”, said Ian Weakford. He continued: “We have already invested in researching and developing member benefits relevant to the different membership categories, as well as a new website, updated documentation and a new brand identity that will carry us forward in the coming years.” The Association itself a member of the Construction Products Association and has long played an important role commissioning, analysing and publishing research to inform legislators and standards organisations. Its work in the field of daylight and energy saving has been put to use in Approved Document L of The Building Regulations. It has also been instrumental in driving improvements in safety for roof workers, through a close working partnership with ACR, the Advisory Committee for Roofsafety. As a member organisation of European rooflighting trade association Eurolux, close ties have been maintained with the European market for rooflights. HOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MEMBERSHIP Full details of Rooflight Association membership categories and benefits can be found the the Association’s new website: www.rooflightassociation.org Follow us on social media! We’ll be posting on our social media accounts, covering news, industry issues, member re-posts and more – as well as highlighting membership benefits to attract new members, as part of our launch campaign.
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and engage with our posts: we want to hear from you!
Meet our new board member
We’re delighted to welcome Alex O’dell as a Rooflight Association director.
Alex is Market Director at VELUX, where he heads the company’s core residential window operations in the UK and Ireland. He is a seasoned leader with extensive knowledge and experience across various manufacturing and consumer industries both in the UK and overseas. He is passionate about promoting healthy homes through natural daylight and fresh air, energy conservation and sustainable building design. Alex commented: “I’m delight-
Join a Rooflight Association working group or committee
You can make a difference in our industry by joining one of these active and friendly groups. It can be a great way to not only make a contribution, but also to broaden your knowledge and improve your career prospects, so it’s a win-win situation!
To find out more about working groups and committees, email info@rooflightassociation.org
ed to be joining the team at this exciting time for the Association, whose important work is supporting best practice in the rooflight industry. I’m looking forward to making my contribution as an active member of the board.”
Chairman Ian Weakford, said: “Alex’s appointment further strengthens our board, which represents manufacturers of rooflights for all sectors. His global experience in sales, marketing and operations will be of great value to NARM in our role as the voice of the UK’s rooflight industry. Welcome to the team, Alex!”
WANTED: your case studies!
Do you publish case studies of rooflighting projects?
We will be placing case studies from member companies, FREE of charge on our new website. All you have to do is send text and images – and we’ll format them in the new Rooflight Association style, with your contact details.
Case studies are uploaded to the site monthly, on a first come, first serve basis, so hurry! Take a look at our case studies page at: rooflightassociation.org/ case-studies/
To get yours published, send text & images to: paul@bennettb2b.co.uk
LEADING LIGHT – NEWS & UPDATES FOR ROOFLIGHT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS 5
Bespoke structural glazing systems by VELUX Commercial connect the University of Cambridge Primary School with nature 350 square meters of structural glazing from VELUX ventilation to the University of Cambridge Primary School – part of a much larger expansion project. The Northwest key workers. The Cambridge Primary School, designed by Marks Barfield Architects, was the first building completed VELUX Commercial bespoke structural glazing systems UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL CASE STUDY 30 Work on the Grade II listed building involved replacing the northlights and bespoke ridgelight in the flat roof area, vertical aspects in the complex sawtooth section, integrated continuous rooflights and a challenging custom, high-specification walk-on installation. The complex nature of the roof structure and extensive project scope highlights Whitesales Em-Glaze Monopitch, Northlights and a bespoke walk-on installation Principal Contractor: Balfour Beatty THE FRY BUILDING UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL CASE STUDY 28 The £19m refurbishment of the Fry Building, included extensive refurbishment of the roof structure and existing roof glazing and rooflights.
ALEX O’DELL
Two new members join the marketing team
The Rooflight Association’s marketing resource has been significantly boosted by the addition of two new members.
Sioned Yates, Chair of the Rooflight Association’s Marketing Committee, said: “We’re delighted to have Ariana and Bethany on board. They bring energy and experience in social media and digital marketing, which will play an important role in meeting our targets.”
ARIANA BRYANT
Ariana is an independent digital marketer who has worked in the construction sector since 2018 and brings extensive hands-on experience with multi-platform marketing activities.
Having previously worked for innovative roofing system groups and component manufacturers, she is familiar with regulatory changes and sustainable motivations.
Ariana said: “I’m delighted to be a part of the Rooflight Association marketing team; striving to propel the brand forward as the leading
resource for rooflight professionals. My mission is to effectively translate technical verbiage and changing industry standards into engaging and applicable digital formats for all audiences.”
BETHANY McTRUSTERY
Bethany is Marketing Manager Designate for member company Hambleside Danelaw and now sits on the Rooflight Association’s Marketing Committee.
She has worked in the construction industry for nearly three years and holds three degrees: Digital Marketing Level 6, Media and Creative Writing BA (Hons), and Contemporary Literature (MA). She also has a PhD in progress.
Bethany said: “The Rooflight Association is a vital resource as well as a driving factor in change for the sector. I am extremely passionate about supporting the increased focus on sustainability and natural daylighting in the rooflight industry and I am happy to offer my support as a member of the Rooflight Association’s Marketing Committee!”
Published by: The Rooflight Association Ltd Email: info@rooflightassociation.org www.rooflightassociation.org © The rooflight Association Ltd 2023. Whilst the information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press, The Rooflight Association Ltd and its member companies cannot be held responsible for any errors or inaccuracies and, in particular, the specification for any application must be checked with the individual manufacturer concerned for a given installation.
Ariana Bryant
Bethany McTrustery
