UKC

Bendcrete Climbing Walls LTD has finally closed / ceased trading. Last Friday 30.08.13 staff called up to the office and instructed not to come back. The best news bendcrete will not pay the staff wages owed or notices / redundancy packages. Staff had worked there for up to fifteen years. Web Site still up and accepting payments for equipment, bolt on holds and services.

In reply to mattaylor: Sorry to hear that. Good luck to you and the rest of the team.

In reply to mattaylor: It has been a bad few weeks for British climbing wall manufacturers. Firstly Beacon pulled out and now only act as agents for WallTopia and now Bendcrete.

In reply to mattaylor: Also sorry to hear this. Great company and some amazing walls. Can i ask where you found this out or if the company has released an official statement yet.
Cheers

In reply to mattaylor:

You need to find out if they are really insolvent (I just checked the Companies House web site and they are still listed as 'active'), or are just trying to cut staff numbers cheaply. Either way you have rights:

http://www.simpsonmillar.co.uk/news/news.aspx?newsid=234

In reply to stuartholmes: An official statement has of yet not been made about the company? I work / worked there no one seems to know apart from the director Gordan Bendall informing the general manager John Hartley to "send the staff home and not to come back." Obviously the staff are all now in no mans land, can't sign on as we are not officially unemployed. As pointed out the company has not at present liquidated. Personally it has all been handled so unprofessionally but then that is to be expected.

In reply to hokkyokusei: Thanks for the link. Have spoken to UNITE the rep is getting in touch with Bendcrete, also ACAS for some advice. Next move is the job office but its a nice day so heading out to Wimberry

In reply to mattaylor: I'm still waiting for any information from Benders as well, but while you were at Wimberry I spent 2 hours at the Job Centre for my initial interview to sign on.

In reply to mattaylor:

Sounds like it's been really badly handled. I wish you the best of luck.

In reply to mattaylor: SOunds awful, best of luck to all who work/ed there.

In reply to mattaylor: If I was you I wouldn't say too much online yet, just in case your position is not totally doomed, and wait until formally dismissed.

In reply to mattaylor: Sad news for you all though, good luck

In reply to Lukeva: Thanks, heading in today for a meeting

In reply to Gary 4nill:

whats the story here ? ?

In reply to Ian McNeill:

Hi Ian if you mean what is the story with the Beacon...then what has happened is that for some time we have been spreading our wall building capacity too thinly between building conventional walls and developing and building our new product - CrazyClimb.

Given the amount of interest we've had in CrazyClimb we made the decision earlier in the summer to focus the efforts of our N Wales manufacturing 100% on CrazyClimb in order to give this product the best possible chance of success. At the same time we still get plenty of enquiries for conventional walls and we decided to become UK agents for Walltopia.

The situation with Bendcrete and it's employees is very sad, and an unfortunate reflection of how tough the climbing wall industry is at the moment.

Steve

In reply to Big Rock Climbing Centreseentr: thanks steve for complete reply it sounded like things were a miss - glad that things are going well - tis a sad story about bendcreate ...
we've now relocated to the north east as Coleg Harlech has hit the news for the wrong reasons http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/no-bailout-planned-crisis-...

In reply to mattaylor:
Sad news. End of an era I guess.
The old Cambridge KK Bendcrete wall is now doomed also. Entreprises are all set to cover it up with ply.
Are feature walls not made in the same way these days? I'm sure I saw something being built on here the other day with a feature wall. That didn't appear to be ply. Are they a victim of their processes or is it just too little work to go around?

In reply to parberoo: Real shame. Broughton wall is awesome. its now open Tuesdays and Thursdays for info.

80's and 90's phrase of choice "Broughton Power"

In reply to john morrissey:

Really? I just assumed it was kind of random and felt lucky when I found it open. Is that just day time?

In reply to parberoo:
I guess that they always had the advantage of having interesting and rock-like features balanced by the fact that route setting on them is difficult and limited. And over time, as walls have gone in for increasingly frequent resetting and more interesting and creative routes from specialist route setters, the balance has tipped in favour of plywood.

Maybe at some point someone will come up with a best-of-both-worlds solution....

In reply to Liam Brown:

Broughtom is open during week days, but only open until 9:30 in the evening Tuesdays and Thursdays

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I'm sure at Oldham whole panels were moved around the wall (placed upside down / in a new location). Maybe have square Bendcrete stylee panels which could be customised with a few bolt on holds? would be a lot more awkward to handle though - probs needing scaffolding rather than just a rope for setting routes.

In reply to parberoo:

Climbing walls seem to be regressing to some extent. Either that or make it 'wacky' Most new bouldering walls appear to be from the same (non) mould which is a shame;even just a small area of moulded, more imaginative stuff makes a wall much more interesting imo. Presumably costs and/or a lack of demand...or imagination?...are the reasons.