Letter from the CEO

Dear Members,

I trust my letter finds you in good health and your work diaries are in good shape. Speaking to members around the country recently, the consensus is that order books are buoyant, with many being booked up until late spring.

You will have received your invitation to renew your membership back in December. For those of you who have already paid in full, may I thank you for doing so. For those still to pay, could I urge you to do so by 28 February Subscriptions are our key income stream that enable us to continue to support you and to improve our services and offer. Once membership is renewed, you will receive your new legal card containing the unique token code enabling you to access the improved Markel Business Hub – this Member benefit alone would cost £190 per annum were it to be purchased individually.

For those who pay their subscriptions in full by the end of February, we are giving away two, Mirka Deros sanders with storage case in our prize draw. This is a really valuable piece of kit for any painting and decorating business. We also have two runners-up prizes, a £100 One4all Multi-Store Gift Card, and a £100 Amazon Shopping Voucher.

Finally, for any Member who may be having difficulty in paying their subscriptions due to possible financial constraints, please call our head office and speak with our Membership Services Manager, Denice Harper, who is happy to advise you on our alternative payment methods. She can be reached on 024 7635 3776, or email denice@paintingdecoratingassociation.co.uk

We recently welcomed our team of nine judges from the Institute of Clerks of Works to shortlist the entries received this year across the seven categories for the PDA Premier Trophy Awards. There were 83 entries received in total, one of the highest numbers received for several years. The judges’ site visits will begin in February and will take them right across the country to meet the individual shortlisted companies. To those who didn’t make this year’s shortlist, please accept our commiserations. We hope you will consider submitting entries for the 2024 awards. For those who reached did, we look forward to seeing you joining us for the celebrations at Plasterers’ Hall in London on Thursday 6 July 2023.

Our four regional Apprentice of the Year competitions are now arranged, and we look forward to seeing the up-and-coming talent showcased at these events. This year we will be visiting Accrington and Rosendale, South & City Birmingham, North Kent, and finally to Glasgow for our first ever Scottish heat.

A grand final will see eight winners from the four regional heats attend Doncaster College on 11 May. The application form for the competition is available to download on the homepage of our website. If your Apprentices want to demonstrate their talents and be one of the winners joining me on stage in London on 6 July, then please submit the entry form to head office by 17 February

In February, you will be receiving a Member survey which aims to gather your thoughts and opinions of the services, benefits and activities currently offered by PDA. We really would welcome your suggestions as to what you like or dislike, along with other suggestions for new benefits and activities you would like to see. Please take a few minutes of your time to complete the survey

Finally, we will be sending out details of the main launch of the Paint Green initiative which commences in March. If you wish to look at the details of how this initiative will work, simply click on the Paint Green tab in the Members hub of our website. Further information also appears on page 6 of this magazine.

Neil Ogilvie Chief Executive neil@paintingdecoratingassociation.co.uk