NEWS


Carpentry and joinery apprentices make it through to Screwfix Trade Apprentice finals


Two aspiring carpentry and joinery apprentices have been announced as finalists for this year’s Screwfix Trade Apprentice competition. Aspiring carpentry apprentice Finn MacArthur, 21, along with apprentice joiner Sinead McLaren, 18, will now compete against eight other finalists from across the UK and Ireland in a bid to be crowned Screwfix Trade Apprentice 2025. The winner, who will be announced at the two-day


final in May, will take home an incredible prize bundle of tools, training and technology worth £10,000 – while also scooping £2,000 worth of Screwfix vouchers for their college. Since starting her joinery


journey, Sinead, from Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, has become a strong advocate for introducing the trades to young people when they are considering their career options. Finn, from the Isle of Arran, has developed a passion for sustainability and making


Ariel Plastics secures leading


position with pivotal appointment Ariel Plastics, the leading UK supplier of roofing sheets, rooflights and roofing accessories, has appointed a new sales director in the first of a series of developments and announcements as the company targets ambitious growth.


The appointment of Jennifer


Brookes as its new sales director is pivotal for the business – which was founded in 1961 and bought by Brett Martin in 1994 – as it looks to strengthen existing industry relationships, identify new opportunities, launch new products.


Jen, as she is widely known, will draw on her vast experience in the construction, DIY, retail and builders’ merchant sectors to build on the company’s established reputation for distributing roofing, glazing and cladding products. Jen saw the potential of Ariel Plastics and has hit the ground


homes as energy efficient as possible.


Hosted at Google’s UK Office in London on 7-8 May, the competition’s final promises to be a challenging yet rewarding experience. Screwfix marketing director, Jack Wallace shared his enthusiasm for the competition, saying: “Apprenticeships are vital to the growth of the trade industry, ensuring we have talented individuals entering the workforce with the skills required to succeed.”


Crown Paints and Wickes renew partnership to support community spaces


Crown Paints and home improvement retailer Wickes have renewed their charitable partnership for a second year, reinforcing their shared commitment to supporting local communities by donating paint products to community spaces across the country. As the official paint partner for the Wickes Community Programme, Crown will continue supplying paint to charities and community groups, helping to refresh and maintain vital spaces. The initiative also repurposes surplus products that might have otherwise gone to waste.


running in strengthening the sales team and working with the business’s owners on exciting expansion plans, which will see significant levels of investment. “Ariel Plastics has been the


UK’s leading plastics distributor for a long time – but it is ripe for a transformation that can take it to the next level, and I am thrilled to have joined Ariel at such an important time,” she said.


Zest supports Nightingale to celebrate brand’s 20th anniversary


As garden furniture, grow your own and decorative garden structure specialist, Zest marks 20 years in business, and its parent company, the P&A Group


6 DIY WEEK APRIL 2025


celebrates 40 years, Zest’s well-known commitment to charity fundraising has focused on the local – alongside its national 2025 commitment to MS Cymru and NCAR. On 5 April, Zest sponsored trophies for the Nightingale House Hospice 5k and 10k Run at Alwyn Waters, following hard on the heels of Zest volunteers’ participation in the annual Mold spring clean event – Keeping Mold Tidy!


The run event was a huge success and invited runners of all abilities to enjoy a multi terrain course while raising vital funds to


In 2025, Crown Paints aims to donate over 10,000 litres of paint, building on the success of last year’s contribution of more than 8,000 litres to over 150 charities and organisations. The partnership aligns with Crown Paints’ Project Possible Programme, an ambitious environmental and social strategy focused on sustainability, charity, community, education, and workplace culture. This ongoing initiative drives sustainability efforts across Crown’s operations while providing greater support for the decorating industry and local communities.


Above: Oswestry Senior Citizens Club in Shropshire, received 13 litres of Crown Paints to redecorate its interior


support the hospice’s patient care services. This and the litter pick are in line with the brand’s commitment to shared community spirit and maintaining a cleaner, greener environment. Zest’s Chair, Steve Morgan


presented the trophies to winning individuals along with Alison Peters from GHP Legal, who sponsored the medals for the event. He commented: “We were delighted to be asked to be a sponsor for this event and I was pleased to see how many runners took part. I am personally committed, along with Zest as a whole to promoting fitness, health and wellbeing. There is nothing better than getting involved with community support to do this as well as raise money for such an important cause.” Over the last 15 years, Zest employees, alongside colleagues in the P&A Group have donated £175,000 to a variety of charities.


Good news on BHETA’s ‘small parcels’ campaign


Latest news on BHETA’s ‘small parcels’ lobbying campaign, which aims to persuade the Government to significantly reduce the UK’s ‘De Minimis’ £135 threshold for import duty, ideally to zero, is that the Chancellor has agreed to review the customs treatment of low value imports. The De Minimis threshold refers to the value below which goods can be imported into a country without incurring customs duties. BHETA’s Chief Operating Officer, Will Jones explained that there has been a sharp rise in the volume of products sold directly to consumers in the UK by overseas producers in ‘small parcels’ over the last five years.


“The inability of the Border Force to check most of these small B2C imports, has led to danger to consumers from unsafe product, massive losses in VAT revenue for the Government and huge challenges for UK producers unable to compete on a level playing field,” said Jones. Jones continued: “Rachel Reeves’ announcement of immediate action by the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), the body responsible for defending the UK against unfair international trade practices is very encouraging and recognises our industry wide campaign.” The Government is conducting a consultation and BHETA will continue to represent its members’ views. If individual stakeholders are looking to engage the government on the review of the customs treatment of low value imports, they can do so via lowvalueimports@ hmtreasury.gov.uk.


www.diyweek.net Finn MacArthur Sinead McLaren


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