[Paul Coleman]

Well there are a few ways of falling off a ladder.  I've come close several times but been lucky.
Something I did learn a long time ago was not to climb the ladder if I was feeling very angry about something.  My two closest near misses both occurred when my anger made me careless.
Another way is if the rungs are wet and you slip.  Although I've used slip resistant footwear for a while now, such footwear does seem to attract and keep mud more easily than a lot of trainers.
A bizarre way where I actually did fall off my ladder happened not too long ago - before I knew about this forum.  An experienced ladder user I was but it still happened.  It happened like this (please take note).  I had a pair of (non-slip) trainers on.  At the back of these trainers were stiff loops that stuck up that you could thread laces through.  Anyway, I was coming down the ladder and the trouser leg on one side got caught in the loop of the trainer on the other side and I came down backwards off the ladder.  I was about 3 or 4 rungs up at the time.  If it was higher, I could have been in the paper.  I was unhurt as, luckily, I landed on my back but my back was rounded.  I guess it must have been instinctive as I don't recall thinking about it.  That was a bizarre accident but I know quite a few trainers have those loops on them so I'm writing it here as a warning to others.
My sympathy to the family and friends of the guy in Lichfield who died.

[windows_chepstow]

Does anyone know this bloke from Lichfield?

I'd be prepared to donate something for some flowers to his missis?

Would anyone be prepared to sort it all out; ie collect the money, buy the flowers and deliver them?

Purely as a token of our 'fellow window cleaners' sympathy.

[dish]

Tosh

I think this is a really thoughtful idea.

Sharon

[windows_chepstow]

Tosh

I think this is a really thoughtful idea.

Sharon

It's no good if no-one knows where he lived!

[Andrew McCann]

My deepest sympathies go to the family of this poor man.

I don't care about the why's and wherefores of how and why it happened.

What I suggest we do is to contact the newspaper and either try to get the address. If they won't give it then perhaps we could ask the newspaper to accept a letter of condolance from the forum along with flowers and pass it on for us.

I am prepared to do this on behalf of the forum members. No names of companies or individuals will be mentioned. It may give the bereaved some comfort to know that there are fellow window cleaners out there who do care about each other.

I am prepared to draft a letter and post it here so that all can see it and make any suggestions they wish to.

Does anyone have any objection to this?

Window cleaning and window cleaners have been very good to me so it is really a very easy thing to do this.

Andrew

[windows_chepstow]

Andrew,

Please do it!

I'll support it, and I'm sure many others would too.

Regards,

Tosh.

[H h20]

Yes great idea Tosh count me in,Gaz

[Andrew McCann]

Ok Tosh

I will try to contact the relevant person at the newspaper tomorrow.

After doing that I will report back to the forum with the result.

To be honest I had already thought about this but waited for someone to mention it first because I didnt want it to be seen as some sort of publicity stunt in view of my being a supplier. I can assure all here that this is the last thing on my mind. If someone hadn't mentioned it I would have sent my personal token of sympathy anyway.

I will fund the provision of flowers on behalf of the forum members however if I do manage to get an address and permission to post it or email it to anyone who wants it those who feel that they want to contribute could always send any tokens or donations direct to the family.

I have been involved before in a similar situation and found it very difficult to arrange and account for donations from others. This is my only reason for offering to fund the flowers on behalf of the forum members.

I will get back to the forum ASAP.

Andrew

[AdamSouth]

thats a very nice thought, count me in too,

adam

[gary evans]

Andrew,

i must say they are very kind words & would agree to any donation or letter of condolence.

i currently have work in & around lichfield & would wish to be apart of anything that can be done.

Gary.

[Andrew McCann]

Here is a link to the report in the newspaper

http://www.expressandstar.com/articles/news/es/article_87794.php

It seems the poor guy was from Walsall.

I am sending a link to the homepage of the newspaper to the office so that I can contact them tomorrow.

Andrew

[Sarah Sarill]

Nice idea Tosh and thanks for offering to do it Andrew.

Count me in too.

Sarah

[genesis_windows]

Im in too..
Respect to you Andrew.
Ijust cant imagine how the family feels..totally devastated seems an understatement, my prayers are with his family.

[Ian_Giles]

Yep, well done Andrew, count me in too.
And well done Tosh for proposing the idea.

Ian

[windows_chepstow]

Here is a link to the report in the newspaper

http://www.expressandstar.com/articles/news/es/article_87794.php

It seems the poor guy was from Walsall.

I am sending a link to the homepage of the newspaper to the office so that I can contact them tomorrow.

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Have you had any information from the newspaper?

Also, about the donations, it'll be difficult for you to receive the money/cheques and get flowers in time for the funeral.

I think it'd probably be easier to set a date, say the 20th March, and then spend the amount you've received by that date, on flowers.

Okay, they'll arrive late, but the thought will still be there.

[Andrew McCann]

Hi all

Just to update you.

I have called the newspaper twice today. The first time was to the head office at around 9.30 this morning. I explained what my call was about and they took my number and said they would get back to me. They hadn't done so at 3 pm so I called the Walsall office number and got put through to the reporters office. Again I explained the situation and again was told that they would get back to me. My feeling is that they will get back soon. The 2nd chap I spoke to did mention a name and was aware of the accident but of course this is a sensitive matter so I suspect that he will want to check out things with his superiors before taking any action.

About donations:  This is a difficult one for me. As I said I am prepared to fund the flowers on behalf of the forum members. However I do understand that many of you will want to donate in some way.. this is totally understandable. What I do know is that you good people here are very big hearted and as the saying goes it is the thought that counts. In this case perhaps more so than most other situations. I know your hearts and minds are with this family and believe that this is enough.

If I do manage to get the address of the family and permission to make it available then perhaps those who wish to could send some sort of personal message of condolence rather than send a donation towards the cost of flowers to me. I promise you all that the flowers will be sent along with a letter which will make it quite clear that they are from the members of this forum as a whole and solely from the members here.


Tosh is probably right about not getting anything sorted out in time for the funeral but I am sure that our gesture of sympathy to the family will help at any time.

I will work on a proposed letter to the bereaved family over the weekend and post its complete wording as soon as it is drafted. You will all then be able to view it and make any comments or suggestions regarding it's contents.

You all have my word that the letter will then be sent to the family exactly as will be finally posted here.

Is this OK with you all?

Andrew

[Sarah Sarill]

Hi everyone,

I am about to email Andrew with some additional information I have managed to source for him.  This includes the w/c name and street.  he is ex-directory though so have not been able to get a street number.

Andrew,

You have :-

[dai]

I got to a job this morning, set my trolley system up, switched on, dead as a dodo.The thought of taking those ladders off filled me with dread. Why? To be honest I don't know. I've been using ladders for the last 13 years, no problem, why should it bother me now?
I have been using WFP since last August.
 The job I was on this morning is a pub/restaurant. We do inside and out every fortnight. I get to check the results each time. With hand on heart I have to say that WFP results at least match, if not better the results I had using trad methods.
 I am being honest here. How many of us on a bright sunny day can inspect an inside and out job, and find every window perfect?
I'm glad to say that my trolley problem was nothing more than a bad battery connection, soon fixed.
I really don't want to go up ladders anymore. I think that when we are working trad, we push the risk to the back of our minds and get on with it. When we get used to working safely off the ground, the risk of using ladders becomes more apparent. It's a stress we are not aware of until it's gone.
My heart goes out to the family of that poor guy that lost his life this week. I would never want my family to endure it.
It's either WFP or nothing for me now. If some customers want someone to risk their life to have their windows cleaned,
 they are customers not worth having. DAI

[Londoner]

I have told this before on this forum. About twenty years ago I used to work with a bloke called John. Three years ago John's son fell off a ladder and hit his head on a wall as he went down.
He was put on a life support machine but it was hopeless and they had to let him go eventually.

He left a wife and young family.
Last I heard there was a problem with his life insurance who were refusing to pay out because he was doing dangerous work.
So all of you, check the small print on your life insurance policies. What job did you say you were doing when you took the policy out?

[lee_dewing]

I would like to send a donation and will look out for details on here to do so,
or can anyone email me lee_dewing@hotmail.co.uk