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On a very wet and windy Saturday 2nd November, a memorial service was held in honour of the crew of the Rye Harbour lifeboat – the Mary Stanford.

On 15th November 1928 the seventeen crew members of the Mary Stanford gave their lives trying to save the stricken ship the SS Alice from Riga from trouble during a gale. This tragedy killed nearly all the male fishermen of Rye Village at the time and took more than one man from many families, including 17 & 19 year old brothers and their father from the Head family.

The project to create the memorial to honour the lost lives took eleven months to complete and was born from an idea by KT Bruce- the lifeboat press officer.

There was a huge community effort to create the memorial. Long Rake Spar donated Scottish Cobbles, which were to be painted for the memorial. Geri Cottingham, a local artist, painstakingly painted the seventeen stunning portraits of the gallant crew that form the centrepiece of the memorial. John Mills, a craftsman from the village painted the letters spelling out ‘Mary Stanford’. That, plus some thirty workshops later including Brownies, Guides, Cubs, the museum in Rye, the crew at the lifeboat station, villagers and local schoolchildren, the nine hundred pebbles were ready to be cemented into concrete.

Other local firms provided money to help the project to flourish including Rastrum Wharf, Atlas Business Park, Martello Developments, Baxall, Inwood, Stamco, Boots the Chemist, Craft Magic, Rye Conservation Society, Craft Club, Care Signs, Adams of Rye and Trade Paints.

Ian Leroy-Lewis, a local plasterer and bricklayer, spent many hours creating the concrete block raised bed. The weather decided to be as awkward as possible during the construction of the memorial with October in the harbour being the wettest month of the year. However, everyone soldiered on until it was completed.

The memorial service began with KT explaining the project in full. This was followed by Mark Dowie, CEO RNLI, dedicating the memorial. It was very emotional as he read out the seventeen names of the crew who lost their lives. Martin Bruce, Rye Harbour chairman, had written a shanty telling the Mary Stanford story to honour the crew. His group, the Round Rye Bay singers then performed it for the first time. It was haunting, with many listeners moved to tears. Our own Depot Manager at Rye, David Locke attended the memorial service.

KT Bruce summed it all up: “Eleven months of hard work and planning bore fruit today as the memorial was dedicated. I would like to thank my husband Martin for his support and coping with moving, washing and storing nine hundred pebbles in our home. I have had such fun and met some wonderful people on this journey. The comments from those who have seen it have been heart-warming and it is wonderful to think that this is now a permanent fixture in our village to pay tribute to the crew of the Mary Stanford.”

For anyone interested, donations to support the amazing work that RNLI do can be made HERE.

This July, Long Rake Spar are proud to be supporting Richard Thoday as he attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the shortest time between Lands’ End to John O’Groats on a Penny Farthing. Along the way Richard will be raising money for Children In Need.

The record was originally set by G P Mills in 1886, when the 19 year old rode across the country on pre-tarmac roads, riding a 53 inch iron-rimmed, solid-tyred Humber Penny Farthing. Whilst the roads that Richard is travelling along will be a lot smoother than the rutted tracks and cobble sets that Mills faced in 1886, he’s still got a huge challenge ahead.

Richard will have to avoid motorways; battle against holiday and commuter traffic whilst riding alongside high speed vehicles to beat the record of 5 days, one hour and 45 minutes. He’ll be backed by a passionate support crew who will be driving the route to supply motorhome accommodation, spare parts, food and medical supplies.

The route that Richard is riding from Lands’ End to John o’Groats is 840 miles long. Each day he’ll be tackling over 170 miles and the attempt will be tracked so supporters and sponsors will be able to see Richard’s progress throughout the ride.

The team at 4 Season Collective, who are the media partners for Richard’s record attempt, will also be posting updates along the route as well as creating a documentary of the highs and lows of the journey including the endurance training that Richard’s completed.

As an experienced long distance cyclist, who has ridden in 24hr road cycling events, Richard will face long stints in the saddle and his training has taken him far and wide already. He is regularly seen cycling the Penny Farthing around the countryside that surrounds the Long Rake Spar works.

Long Rake’s Managing Director, Trevor Broadhurst, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Richard in his attempt. It’s important for us to be able to help our community so when we heard that a local teacher was attempting such a heroic journey we definitely wanted to be involved. There are some very keen cyclists amongst our team and many of our colleagues have children who know Richard from his work as a teacher at Highfields Secondary School.”

Long Rake Spar was founded in 1867, just 20 years before the original record was set and the last 150 years have seen a lot of change in the local area but the community remains at the heart of the business.

Along the 840 mile route Richard will be raising funds for Children in Need and is supported by a collection of sponsors, family & friends and the local community, who are all behind him! You can find a link to Richard’s fundraising page here.

For 2019 we are delighted to introduce three stunning new products into our decorative range.

These products were chosen to tie into current market trends which have seen sales in grey landscapingstone outsell the traditional tones of gold and buff. The three new products are Graphite Chippings 14mm as well as Heritage Quartz gravel and Ocean Blue pebbles; both available in 10mm, 14, and 20mm sizes.

Our Graphite Chippings are stunning granite chippings with flecks of blue/grey tones, which deepen when the product is wet. This hard-wearing gravel will provide a contemporary feel to any landscape design and works well with pale coloured pebbles and cobbles such as Duck Egg Cobbles.

The Heritage Quartz is an angular gravel which features undertones of grey overlaid with blends of pink and orange. Due to its mixed colour pallet this product works fantastically in both traditional and modern settings. It works wonderfully as an alternative to limestone, with its hard-wearing qualities giving it a longer lifespan.

Finally, our Ocean Blue Pebbles are a rounded stone with blue/grey colour tones. This limestone product is naturally sea worn and has been a popular addition to our landscaping range, complementing grey and neutral paving and large feature stones like longstone rockery. These pebbles are a light blue/grey when dry and turn a deep blue when wet.

For more information or samples of our products please give our team a call on 01629 636210.

Decorative aggregate supplier Long Rake Spar put quality management at the heart of their customer service commitment with their recent ISO 9001:2015 accreditation.

The ISO 9001:2015 certification is for the wholesale of decorative aggregates and encompasses all three product ranges, Natural Selection, Grantex and Sight GRIP.

This quality management system ensures consistency of both our products and service levels and displays our commitment to achieving the highest levels of customer service.

We are continually striving to improve to ensure our customers receive the very best service from us. Therefore, we were delighted to achieve the ISO 9001:2015 as this demonstrates our ability to consistently provide products and services that meet the highest customer and regulatory requirements.

At Long Rake Spar we pride ourselves on supporting local community events whenever possible.

Last year we donated some of our Golden Quartz to the Etwall village well dressing in May and have agreed to support them again this year by providing the same product.

The well dressing was started 49 years ago by the Primary school PTA who were raising funds for their swimming pool and they will be celebrating 50 years next year! There are several wells in the village and each well has a different theme chosen by their organisers. All the organisers have different techniques using natural materials to produce a picture.

We are always interested to hear of unique ways in which our products are used and pleased to learn that our natural stone chippings are being used in such a creative way!

The whole event involves the village in various ways; the pubs often have craft beers and music, the churches turn into cafes and flower displays, and there are craft fairs and entertainment.

The event is run by the EWDA who are a non-profit charity that organises village events. The main event is in May where they produce well dressing around the village. All the money raised is then given back to local and regional charities that have been successful in their application to them.

We have been supplied with a few pictures of previous year’s well dressings featuring our products and look forward to seeing this year’s offering!

We are pleased to announce the recent acquisition of the dried aggregate business sector from Brett’s Specialised Decorative Aggregates, the leading supplier of Durite, Flintag™ and associated dried products to the UK’s resin and flooring industry.

As the leading supplier of Dried, Decorative & Industrial Aggregates, our acquisition of this established product range enables us to offer a more extensive product portfolio which broadens our offering into the more specialist industries of internal and external flooring.

As a key supplier of dried aggregate granules through Grantex Surfacing, who service the resin surfacing industry, we see this acquisition as not only a great opportunity to strengthen our market share, but also that of our contractors, who can now broaden their product offering into new market sectors, such as resin flooring.

This week’s RHS Hampton Court Flower has showcased some breath-taking gardens to inspire horticulturalists and novice planters alike and we were delighted to be part of it. Each year at RHS Hampton Court, the Celebrity Theatre features engaging demonstrations and discussions with the nation’s favourite TV gardeners and surrounding this year’s stage were 3 front gardens, created for visitors to enjoy.

Long Rake Spar were delighted to be invited to support the ‘Mend Our Mountains’ garden in association with Everest. The garden is part of the British Mountaineering Council’s campaign to repair the UK’s mountain paths, bridleways and bridges to help ensure the future of outdoor activities.

The garden has been designed by David Domoney and nominated by Julie Bradbury who are both speaking in the Theatre during the show. We worked alongside David Domoney and the team to donate the towering monoliths that give the garden its height and supply Ice Blue Chippings and Blue Slate 40mm for the surface covering.

The effect is a hard, rugged landscape which is reminiscent of the rocky mountainsides that the BMC is working to protect. Pockets of planting emerge in and amongst the striking monoliths, highlighting the significance of the alpine flora of the British hills and their ability to thrive in such challenging environments. The mountain theme continues with a sea of authentic Welsh Slate chippings which contrasts with the softness of the surrounding trees and paved pathway, these elements combine to evoke the wild beauty and majestic peaks of the UK mountain ranges.

The RHS Hampton Court Flower Show is open from the 3rd -8th July 2018, take a look here for more information about tickets.

Following its successful launch in 2017, RHS Chatsworth is returning this June with an eye-catching array of landscapes and displays. Amongst the striking collection of show gardens is the CCLA: A Family Garden which has been designed by Amanda Waring and Laura Arison and built by G K Wilson Landscape Services.

Long Rake Spar has been approached by Amanda to supply decorative aggregate to match the Bradstone paving used throughout the garden as well as Multi-Purpose Compost for planting beds.

The CCLA garden has been designed to bring together aspects of family life with elements of the outdoors. Built across varied levels, the visitor can explore structural and informal planting and discover areas where they can sit relax and connect with their surroundings. At the heart of the garden is the pavilion, which brings the family together and incorporates seating and a children’s play area.

RHS Chatsworth Flower Show begins on Wednesday 6th June and ends Sunday 10th June. For more information about the CCLA: A Family Garden or about the show please click here.

On the 19th April Long Rake Spar were pleased to be part of SureSet’s Approved Installer Event at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre.

Alongside fellow sponsors Dural, Long Rake Spar were proud to support the Annual Awards which were presented by SureSet to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of their Approved Installers.

There were four awards given on the day which were judged on a set criteria including customer feedback. The awards were presented by John Fletcher and the winners were …

Approved Installer of the Year – Gibson Gardens
Gibson Gardens specialise in all areas of garden design and maintenance in London and Surrey and have been SureSet Approved Installers since 2014.

Award for Outstanding Customer Service – Perma Stone Paving Ltd
Perma Stone Paving are a family run business who have been installing resin bound permeable paving for over 10 years in domestic and commercial projects.

Project of the Year – David Crowder Landscapers
This was awarded to David Crowder Landscapes for a project in Gerrards Cross. David Crowder Landscapes have been an Approved Installer since 2015 and deliver a high quality and reliable service to customers.

Spotlight Award – Lockwood Landscapes
Lockwood Landscapes received this award due to the highly commendable projects that they’ve carried out whilst delivering consistently high levels of customer service. Lockwood Landscapers specialise in hard and soft landscaping and have been a SureSet Approved Installer since 2015.

The remainder of the event featured presentations from industry experts. A live demonstration from SureSet installation team highlighted the use of the Hover Trowel which provides an unparalleled level of finish to surfaces. The afternoon also included a very informative presentation about the properties of various sub-bases, an essential component of a long-lasting system. This presentation was given by Tony McCormack from pavingexpert.com and prompted discussions about best practice and how to maintain a high standard in the industry overall.

Long Rake Spar are pleased to announce the launch of their new Natural Selection Brochure for 2018. In time for the start of the landscaping season, the brochure has been designed to help stockists, landscapers and end users select the best decorative aggregates for their needs.

Originally launched in 2008, the Natural Selection has become an industry recognised collection of leading decorative aggregate products. The Selection includes a unique range of products that have been carefully chosen to add aesthetic appeal and durability to domestic and commercial projects. The new brochure demonstrates the company’s continuous commitment to product development, with products being constantly renewed to reflect current colour and design trends, whilst providing smart solutions for outdoor spaces.

The brochure showcases over 20 new products for 2018, alongside Long Rake Spar’s exclusive Platinum products which continue to provide a highly decorative finish for landscapers. Featuring high resolution wet and dry product photos, inspiring lifestyle images and helpful information icons; the brochure can be used in-store or on-site to guide product choice.

The new brochure is part of a programme of retail support products that Long Rake Spar is introducing for UK stockists. Based upon customer feedback and changes in consumer buying behaviour the company is offering specially developed Point of Sale support to help stockists increase sales.

The new Natural Selection Brochure is available to view via the link below

https://bit.ly/2GLDOEX

Copies can also be requested via the Sales Office on 01629 636210. For more information about the support that Long Rake Spar offers to stockists, please contact your regional Account Manager.