We would like to warn Londoners to be aware of a door-to-door company calling themselves the ‘Air Ambulance Service’. This is not a registered charity and London’s Air Ambulance is not receiving any donations from this service.

Clothes Recycling

A company has been leafleting homes in the Eltham and Wanstead areas asking for clothing donations to support the ‘Air Ambulance Service’.

Clothes recycling is a genuine source of income for us, however we use a company called World UK Trading Ltd. and the bags are clearly marked that they are for London’s Air Ambulance. If people are wary of collections, they should contact World UK Trading Ltd. on 01234 782823.

Lottery

A door-to-door company called ‘Air Ambulance Service’ has been in the Eltham and Wanstead areas asking for Direct Debits for a lottery. Again, London’s Air Ambulance will not benefit from any of this money.

London’s Air Ambulance runs a lottery, which generates a valuable source of income for the charity, and employs door-to-door canvassers.

All London’s Air Ambulance canvassers are dressed in hi-visibility jackets or vests with ‘London’s Air Ambulance’ displayed on the back. They also wear London’s Air Ambulance black fleeces, jumpers and polo shirts and carry picture ID. All London’s Air Ambulance Canvassers, as well as the areas they are operating in, are listed on www.londonsairambulance.co.uk/lottery/canvassers.

If people are unsure they can call the Fundraising office on 020 7943 1302.

Commenting on this, Charity Director, David Oakley, said: “These people are not from a registered charity and we are quite angry that they are purporting to collect on our behalf. Having been alerted to this, we feel it our responsibility to warn people to be aware, however we urge Londoners to carry on supporting us through our lottery, as it is a dependable income for us.

“While this has only been in a few areas, our neighbouring county air ambulances have been having problems with this company for some time. This matter has been brought to the attention of the police, Trading Standards, and The Charity Commission”

London’s Air Ambulance currently has over 13,000 lottery members and hopes to continue to grow this. If you are interested in signing up for as little as £1 per week please contact Jodie Potter on 020 7943 1302. Prizes include £500 and a bonus draw of up to £2,000.

Visit the London Air Ambulance Website.

“Electrician” and “electrical contractor” are related terms. An electrician is an individual tradesperson; an electrical contractor is a business that employs electricians to design, install, and maintain electrical systems. In most of the United States, separate licensing requirements exist for electricians and electrical contractors. Electricians are typically not allowed to perform work for the public unless under the employment of an electrical contractor.

The word “plumber” dates from the Roman Empire. In Roman times lead was known as plumbum in Latin which is why the periodic table of the elements uses the symbol of ‘Pb’ for lead. Roman roofs used lead in conduits and drain pipes and some were also covered with lead, lead was also used for piping and for making baths. In medieval times anyone who worked with lead was referred to as a plumber as can be seen from an extract of workmen fixing a roof in Westminster Palace and were referred to as plumbers “To Gilbert de Westminster, plumber, working about the roof of the pantry of the little hall, covering it with lead, and about various defects in the roof of the little hall”.

Thus a person with expertise in working with lead was first known as a Plumbarius which was later shortened to plumber.

A general building contractor must first assess the project specific documents (referred to as tender documents). In the case of renovations, sometimes a site visit is required to get a better understanding of the project. As a result of this, the contractor will generate a price, also called an ‘’estimate’’. The general contractor considers the cost of materials, equipment as well as the cost of labor to provide the owner with an approximate price for the project.

In these contract documents, the contract agreement includes budget, the general and special conditions and the plans and specification of the project that are prepared by a design professional such as an architect. In many instances the general contractor is the project engineer or project manager for construction projects.