It’s amazing what can happen when a community comes together for a good cause, and the residents of Ryde are a shining example of how community spirit that can make a difference.
The town’s local arena has long been a jewel in its crown. Home to champion ice hockey team the Wightlink Raiders and offering lessons in figure skating, the Ryde Arena offers a little something for everyone.
When the news that the arena would have to close due to a lack of funding came, local residents were determined to find a way to help. Thanks to the formation of a charity, known as the Ryde Arena Trust Ltd, the 1,000 capacity arena has been saved. But getting funding was only the first obstacle it had to overcome.
Just as building works that would ensure the long term and continued use of the arena were due to start in November 2015, high winds ripped off parts of the roof with a combined surface area of 720m². Heavy rain then caused substantial water damage to the arena’s interior and left the building unfit for use.
In a bid to bring the arena back to its best, the dedicated roofing team from Jewson worked alongside contractor Heathfield Developments using Icopal’s Enviroflex™ insulation system to repair the damage. This involved attaching a number of partial roof overlays on to the existing structure to seal the gaps and create a full, structurally sound covering.
Rob Heathfield, Managing Director at Heathfield Developments, explained: Rob added: “Enviroflex™ was an ideal solution – it’s highly durable and can be installed onto new and existing roof structures to create a watertight finish. The initial and ongoing support from Jewson and its specialist roofing team proved invaluable to the success of this repair. The on-site training has also helped us broaden our skill set and we are now an accredited Icopal installer.”
The repair work, continued to be anything but plain sailing. The Ryde Arena sits on a busy harbour front complete with a hoverport and a hovercraft that takes almost 40 trips each day. Every hovercraft arrival and departure created a spray of seaweed and seawater which, when combined with strong winds, made working conditions on the roof far from ideal.
“Projects like this are about more than just delivering the right products at the right price” commented Sunny Lotay, National Flat Roofing Development Manager for the Jewson roofing team. “Wherever possible, we want to pass on knowledge and skills that will enable our customers go that extra mile in their own work.”
The Ryde Arena repair was completed in 2016, and the building has been issued with a 15 year warranty to cover any additional weathering repairs related to the new roof.
