Wow, it's certainly been a huge year for Safestyle! We’ve brought out new products, broken business records, and helped get the energy saving message out there to families all across England and Wales!

To say it was an intense year is an understatement, 2011 has been one of our biggest ever. We broke our long-standing sales record for business written in one day, writing over three quarters of a million pounds of business on Thursday 17th November.

This on the back of a huge, nationwide energy saving media campaign, including TV, radio and internet, right from the start of 2011, and which saw the launch of the new and upgraded double glazing products, including the A-rated Eco Diamond Window, Sliding Sash windows and Astragal Bars range.

It is amazing to think of the successful achievements in the context of another year of economic turmoil, with a "double dip" recession, European financial crisis, and energy bills going through the roof. It's heartening to know that British business can still do well in an adverse economic climate.

Next year promises to be an even tougher economic year, and what with the Olympics and European Championships vying for the public's attention, we'll have to be well on top of our game too! We have several new exciting products that we're really looking forward to launching shortly.

From all at Safestyle UK, have a well-deserved festive break, a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a wonderful New Year!

Let's make 2012 an even better year!

Another charity fundraiser took place recently at Safestyle UK, where staff at our Bradford Head Office and Barnsley factory raised money for Children in Need. The donation, for £1,196.60, was our largest collection to date for this worthy cause.

We've been showing our support for Children in Need year after year, raising money through raffles and the very popular 'dress down days' where employees donate £1 or more to leave their suits and ties behind for a day.

The amount raised this year was higher than ever before and to top it off our management team then doubled the total amount.

Thanks to everyone for their generous donations, with a special mention to Lesley Tempest-Mitchell from the Safestyle UK Accounts Department for organising the raffle, and to Victoria Tate for her thorough collection of donations!

One of our senior managers at Safestyle had to put illness and injury to one side in his bid to complete a 10k race to raise money for charity. Les Jones tackled the daunting prospect of running at the Wetherby Racecourse having been ill and also injuring an ankle prior to the race. With guts and determination, though, he persevered and still managed to complete the race, raising £800+ for an Ethiopian village he plans to visit next month.

Here’s his story:

We've been very busy at our Safestyle Manufacturing facility, producing thousands of our award-winning double glazed windows and doors to install in more than 800 homes per week, up and down the country! We’re not standing still though, and people have noticed.

The Safestyle Eco Diamond Window is going down a storm, and speaking of storms, winter's just around the corner and with our window A-rated as standard it will help customers save energy and cut those dreaded heating bills right down.

The demand means that at Safestyle, manufacturing never lets up, even in these tough economic climes, but we're always trying to improve things – we've got lots of developments in the pipeline to further improve product quality and deliver even better customer service and satisfaction.

And with nationwide concerns over security and safety much in the news lately, our highly-rated windows and doors, with their high security multi-point locking systems and robust construction, will keep the burglars out and give you peace of mind.

But our products and service are not the only things winning awards! We've received another award recognising the hard work put in to achieve our industry-leading safety record, the International Safety Award, which Safestyle have won for the 11th time.

As we continue to grow, we're constantly recruiting and recently the volume of online job applications has been booming even more than usual. Apprenticeships have also been in the offing down at the factory, with an incredible response to a limited number of available apprenticeships. One of our latest recruits has even won an award – 18-year old Sarah Borrino won the Learner Achievement Award from Independent Training Services.

Look out for our latest Safestyle videos and TV ads on the Safestyle YouTube channel.

Safestyle’s fantastic double glazing products speak for themselves, installed in more than 800 homes per week and helping families save energy and money up and down the country – but wouldn’t it be great if you could also have your great new energy saving windows and doors paid for you in full?

Well that’s precisely what Safestyle prize draw winners are entitled to! That’s right, winners of the Diamond Club prize draw get their full outstanding balance for their Safestyle windows and doors paid off in full, and the latest prize draw took place in May.

This time the lucky winner was Miss Claire Brawn, of Billingshurst, West Sussex, who has had her balance of £1,557 paid off by Safestyle as a result of her winning the draw. Her partner Mr Phil Cheeseman was presented with a bottle of champagne and an official certificate.

Making the presentation was Safestyle Sales Representative Shahin Rostami, who sold them their windows and doors from our Brighton branch, and he said: “I’m very happy for Miss Brawn and it was a pleasure to present the prize. As a Representative of Safestyle I’m proud that we can make something like this possible, to provide such a fantastic opportunity for couples and families everywhere to have their superb double glazing home improvements paid for them.”

Safestyle’s valued finance customers automatically become members of our Diamond Club, through which they can take advantage of exclusive offers as well as automatic entry into the quarterly prize draw. The first ever draw was in February 2008.

A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Miss Brawn!

Our very own Safestyle UK's "Window Man" Jeff Brown was shortlisted in a Channel 4 programme celebrating the world's wackiest TV adverts.

The Window Man, who has fronted many of our television and radio advertising campaigns since 1999, featured on David Walliams' Awfully Good Ads on Friday 15th April.

The show uncovers a host of weird and wonderful adverts, with highlights including ill-advised celebrity-fronted campaigns and bizarre products from around the world.

Jeff said: "It's an honour to have our advertising campaign recognised on this level, we've clearly made a big impression on viewers which is great news!"

Since taking up his role as the face of Safestyle UK 12 years ago, Jeff has become a household name, instantly recognisable thanks to his "BOGOF" catchphrase used to promote the company's affordable and energy efficient windows and doors.

The double glazing TV ad which propelled the Window Man to stardom was none other than "Pushover", which recently made a return to TV screens across the nation, and can be seen on Safestyle’s YouTube channel.

Our very own Jeff 'Window Man' Brown has been helping to boost a fund-raising drive for a Yorkshire mum who is battling breast cancer in the USA.

Jeff attended a charity auction night organised by family and friends of Bev Dransfield, who is receiving life-saving treatment in Arizona.

Jeff, compered the event, including an auction, to help campaigners raise a whopping £12,000 at the evening at Gomersal Cricket Club, West Yorkshire.

Jeff said: "After a whirlwind tour of Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol and Swindon, I was greeted at Gomersal by warm-hearted Yorkshire folk who gave very, very generously, and we even had a webcam link to Bev in Arizona."

Jeff added, "It was fantastic to talk to Bev and for her to see for herself how much her family and friends are rooting for her. I was also proud to be given the opportunity to represent Safestyle in presenting her Husband Lee with a cheque for £1,000 to add to the night’s total."

The event was organised by relatives of Bev, including Jonathan Fisher, who works at our Leeds branch.

Bev, 42, from Gomersal, West Yorkshire, is currently undergoing revolutionary treatment in the USA in a bid to finally beat breast cancer. After she was first diagnosed with the disease seven years ago, she underwent a full mastectomy with reconstructive surgery, and was given the all-clear.

Over the next few years, Bev and her friends helped to raise thousands of pounds for breast cancer charities by holding "pink parties" at the cricket club. But in November Bev was told the cancer had returned and had spread to her lungs, liver and lymphatic system. Medics gave her between two months and two years to live.

Refusing to give up, Bev and husband Lee left their sons George, 12, and Charlie, 10, on Boxing Day to set off for the clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently undergoing an alternative course of treatment involving low levels of chemotherapy, a special diet and homeopathic remedies.

Bev and husband Lee had already remortgaged their home to pay towards the £60,000 treatment but they still need to raise more so Bev can finish the course of treatment. The proceeds from the charity auction night will go a long way to helping and other events are planned.

At the charity auction, various items were donated by local businesses, including a signed England cricket top and a Leeds United shirt.

Jonathan said: "Everybody I have spoken to said the night was fantastic and Jeff really made the night. He was brilliant.

"We thought we might raise between £3,000 and £6,000 on the night but we have raised about £12,000 and there is more to come."

One of our salesmen is helping to spearhead a fund-raising drive for a brave mum who is battling breast cancer for the second time.

Jonathan Fisher, who works at our Leeds branch, is organising a charity event to help his sister Bev Dransfield.

Bev, 42, from Gomersal, West Yorkshire, is currently undergoing revolutionary treatment in the US state of Arizona in a last-ditch attempt to beat breast cancer.

She was first diagnosed with the disease seven years ago and after undergoing a full mastectomy and reconstructive surgery she was given the all-clear.

Over the next few years, Bev and her pals helped to raised thousands of pounds for breast cancer charities by holding "pink parties" at Gomersal Cricket Club near her home.

Sadly, Bev found out in November that the cancer had returned and had spread to her lungs, liver and lymphatic system and doctors gave her between two months and two years to live.

But Bev has refused to give up and on Boxing Day she and husband Lee left their sons George, 12, and Charlie, 10, to set off for the clinic in Phoenix, Arizona.

She is undergoing an alternative course of treatment involving low levels of chemotherapy, a special diet and homeopathic remedies.

Bev and Lee have already remortgaged their home to pay towards the £60,000 treatment but they still need to raise more. Now Jonathan and the rest of Bev's family and friends are trying to raise as much as they can so she can finish the treatment.

They have organised a fund-raising auction on February 4th at Gomersal Cricket Club. The fund-raising group is hoping to get local businesses involved to donate prizes for the auction and they have already received items such as a signed England cricket top and a signed Leeds United shirt.

Jonathan said: "The response so far has been extraordinary and we are hoping to raise between £3,000 and £6,000 at the fund raiser. We are also hoping Bev's children will be able to fly to Phoenix to see her during her treatment."

The event is on Friday 4th February from 7.30pm, at Gomersal Cricket Club. Tickets cost £10. For more information contact Jonathan on 07984 342581.

HUNDREDS of our double glazing agents have been given a special survival kit to help fight the winter elements – including "magic heat pads".

The 750-strong Market Research team have been supplied with the gear to keep them warm and dry during the rain and snow.

The canvassing kit includes clothing to tackle all types of severe weather, including waterpoofs, thermal gloves and socks, umbrellas, hats, jackets, and new innovations such as magic gel instant heat pads, which keep the hands warm.

We think our Market Research Agents are some of the hardest working people you'll ever meet, working outside in sometimes the harshest of conditions, so we feel it's our responsibility to help protect them from the elements.

The kit is certainly unique in the glazing industry and we would be surprised if there was anything comparable in other vocations.

The initial feedback we're getting from out in the field is that the new canvassing kit is going down a storm, giving Market Researchers more confidence to brave the weather and all it can throw at them.

The canvassers carry out market research and gauge public opinion on energy-efficient ways to save money. As they work entirely outdoors, they have to endure everything the great British weather throws at them, including one of the most severe cold snaps to hit the nation recently.

The canvass kit also contains a plethora of paraphernalia, including energy-saving information, leaflets and guides, plus easy ways the public can take advantage of to help improve their homes and reduce their energy bills.

THE big freeze has failed to halt the great service we provide, and we have been going the extra mile for our customers across the UK.

We have even been helping to clear roads for residents near our factory in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Mark Scaife, our Operations Director of Manufacturing and Logistics, said today: “Our big priorities are the health and safety of our staff and our great customer service."

“This is why we needed to get our people into work safely and our delivery wagons out. The hill near one of our factories on Valley Road in Barnsley was covered in ice and snow and local residents couldn't get up it, everyone was sliding down or getting stuck and it was very dangerous."

“We were fortunate to find a local tractor driver with a snow plough who we remunerated for clearing the hill and keeping it and the local road to the factory clear, both for ourselves and local residents.”

We would also like to stress the importance of continuing to keep warm during the severe cold snap that has taken hold of the country, and we are now launching our super energy-efficient A-rated window to help customers prevent heat loss from their homes.

The British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) measures energy efficiency from A to G, with A being the most efficient.

It is vital to stay warm in the current big freeze and it is crucial that people achieve this by preventing heat escaping from their homes. Our new A-rated window will help to prevent heat loss and so will help to cut down on bills.

This is important, especially as energy providers are currently sending out news of their price increases to their customers, so reducing heat loss with double glazing is paramount.