See our thermal blinds on Saturday 5th March at this Conference & Show in Frome. Some fascinating speakers & case studies. Price includes coffee & lunch and there is a 40% discount for locals. Frome is also a great place to visit, shop & a good base for sight-seeing. Why not make a weekend of it? Venue is the Cheese & Grain right in the middle of the town centre.
We’ve lined the inside of the door panels to our workshop with offcuts from the thermal blinds, ssems to have done the trick! Now its getting chilly we are working hard to finish your orders promptly and enjoying working with our new fabrics.
We’ve had some great publicity via the Homes & Design section of The Independent early in December (pics here but theres no online version) and a similar piece in Homes & Property. If you’d like a quote just send us a photo of your windows and the sizes & we’ll do the rest. See our ‘ordering‘ page for measuring details.
Article on keeping warm in The Independent
Photo of a thermal blind from The Independent article
We’ve had some really lovely pieces written in the last couple of years, the latest being on the blog ‘All Things Bright & Good‘, a lovely blog by Judy who I met at a Frome ‘Jelly’ (an event where home workers work together for a day). She has written a book about homeworking & also runs the blog ‘Working from Home Wisdom‘ which is full of great tips on homeworking and there did an article about me in unusual home working jobs.
Judy gave me her loft-stored sewing machine when I first set up, it was her 18th birthday present so very special! It was my workhorse for two years til I bought my amazing Pfaff.
The She-Shed and Pfaff
We also got a mention by Julia Kendell in the Sunday Times, by Roger Hunt on ‘old windows need not be cold‘, a very fascinating blog, and I believe we are mentioned in his book too ‘Old House Eco Handbook‘ (must get a copy!)
Julia said;
“Heavy lined curtains are a tried and tested way to keep in heat, but there are more effective options. “A clever solution is thermal blinds,” She recommends a new product by the designer Katy Duke. Her thermal blinds lock onto the frame with magnets and are made with materials used in skiwear.
Roger said;
“As an alternative to replacing windows there are a variety of low impact and cost effective alternatives:
Rattling windows may be wedged or, with sash windows, a fastener with a cam action which draws the two sashes together can be fitted.
Shutters and heavy curtains reduce draughts and keep heat in, especially if they’re closed before it gets dark so the warmth of the day is retained. One further step is to install thermal blinds which incorporate a variety of insulating and reflective layers designed to minimise conduction through the fabric.
We also got a lovely write up in Blinds & Shutters magazine when Katy won the PEA Award.
The next article expected is in The List, a very popular local magazine. Check out the December issue!
Sunday Times article by Julia Kendell
Article in Blinds & Shutters magazine
Special discounts available for May only for anyone within 15 miles of our HQ at BA11 – 10% discount on thermal blinds in standard fabric (9 colours available) if you order 2 or more.
ALSO there is a 5% discount available for all orders of four blinds or more, wherever you are.
Email your sizes and a photo and we will send you a price & swatches.
A lovely new patterned & textured fabric range is now available. We have spent weeks testing to ensure that the fabric is suitable for our five layers & now bring you the ‘Classic’ range. There are 39 different fabrics to choose from. Download a pdf showing the range here. Email us with your window details (photo & size) to info@thermalblind.co.uk & we will send swatches.
Thermal blind in ‘Tuscany moss’ fabric
New ‘classic’ range – sheet 1
New ‘classic’ range – sheet 2
New ‘classic’ range – sheet 3
We exhibited at the Regen SW RE Marketplace on 8th April at Westpoint, Exeter – stand Sh 15 in the ‘Community’ section (by the catering stall!). Download a leaflet here. We launched the new fabric range, well received!
See us at Sh 15 in the Community section
The Exhibition: Featuring over 100 south west companies including, renewable energy installers; construction companies; training providers; manufacturers, consultants and advisors; energy assessors; financiers and banks and installers of energy efficiency measures. You should be able to meet everyone you need for a project here under one roof.
Outside: A showcase of green cars (including test drives), charging points and smart energy solutions.
Demos: In the middle of the exhibition hall there will be a number of demos.
The Talks: We have lots of talks on the different renewable energy and energy efficiency options for you. These include individual technology overviews, updates on policies and funding streams. Specialist talks for farmers, communities and the arts sector.
The Conference: A high level overview of the sector. Designed for those who are already developing projects or those looking to explore complex policy areas or opportunities.
The show really is the place in the south west where anyone with an interest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainability all meet up. We look forward to seeing you there so please drop by our stand and say hi & please bring a friend with you!
Child safety is important to us. With recent new legislation (February 2014) our blinds now have additional safety features to ensure that there is no choking or strangulation hazard to children. There are two modifications which will be made on all blinds from 28th February 2014.
1. The chain loops supplied to control the blinds will be supplied so they hang no lower than 1500mm off the floor and included will be appropriate safety cleats for you to fix the bottom of the chain loop. These have been supplied with the blinds for some time now but it is now compulsory for the customer to fit them on installation.
2. The cords on the back of the blind will either be supplied at spacings which do not need safety devices OR we will supply the blind complete with safety release catches designed so that the cord separates under a load of 6kg.
These features ensure that the blinds comply with the new British Standard BS EN 13120. For more details see our suppliers information page.
We offer a retrofit scheme for older blinds for our existing customers. Contact katy@thermalblind.co.uk if you have any concerns or would like to have your blinds modified. We advise all previous customers to ensure they have fitted the safety catches provided. If existing blinds are accessible by young children please consider using our retrofit service.
You can download the British Blind & Shutter Association’s ‘Make it Safe’ brochure here or see the ‘Make it Safe’ website.
Safety cleats & labels are supplied with your blind
The back of the blind has quick release safety catches
Safety cord release on back of blind, how it works:
More information from ROSPA.
Please note we can supply retrofit safety devices as well – don’t take a chance, make it safe!
The safety catches are hand-sewn onto the back of the blind
Cord locked into safety clip
How to do it – for a sash window. The blinds were designed specifically for sash windows, though they work on other windows (see this post). Here is a drawing showing how they fit & which dimensions we need. You can download the instructions as a pdf (includes photos) here and if you’d like a Word version of the dimension chart to fill in it is available here.
typical sash winow showing where the blind fits
We will be exhibiting, as usual, at this lovely Show on 16th & 17th November. It is held at the Royal Bath & West Showground (near Shepton Mallet). For free tickets click below.
We will be on stand 216, right in the middle of the main hall.
Opening times:
Saturday 10.00am – 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am – 4.30pm
Come & see the blinds in action, pick up a sample or discuss your problem windows with us. If you remember to bring a photo that’s even better!
Our stand
You can see our previous show stands here for 2012 & 2011.
