Window washer survives 10-story fall

Window washer falls 10 stories from scaffolding in Newport News

Live from Norfolk, Va, a 24-year-old man fell 10 stories from a Newport News high-rise building on Friday. Read the official article here. Luckily, he is expected to make a full recovery. He is currently wearing a body cast and has a broken arm, broken foot, broken back bones and bruises on his lungs and heart.

Officials say he fell from the Maritime Square building which is near 26th Street and Washington Avenue. The incident happened around 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 9 while he was window cleaning.

Martin Stanford says he remembers free-falling and then having a tough time opening his eyes at the hospital. He doesn’t recall the impact. “When I first started dropping, I saw how high up I was,” he says. “The first thing I thought was that I’m about to die, and then I woke up in the hospital and I was still alive.” Stanford says he started repelling from buildings five days before the incident.

The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry is currently conducting an open case to investigate what went wrong.

Three Window Cleaners For Monday

“Just like with almost anything, you get what you pay for,” Frei said. “Once I do a job, the results speak for themselves. It’s a professional result and the client can see the difference.”

Frei describes being an entrepreneur at heart - It’s often been said that entrepreneurs are born, not raised. While there may be disagreements on that particular theory, it’s clear that the enterprising bug is certainly more prevalent in some than others. Meet Jessie Frei. Originally a native of Port Orchard, Washington, Frei was serving on a church mission in Georgia from 2005 to 2007, when he ultimately met his future wife, Janna. For Frei, that’s all it took for him to relocate. 

Now as a husband and father of two, he currently works 40 hours a week as an aviation mechanic for one of the biggest airlines based out of Atlanta. For many, this seems like an ideal scenario – a steady job with a large company, equipped with a skill set that allows him to work almost anywhere in the aviation field. But for Frei, he felt like there was a missing piece of the puzzle. While he thoroughly enjoyed his work and family life, Frei still longed for the independent spirit that running a small business provides. 

After careful consideration regarding overhead, costs, and inventory, the answer to his question came when he decided to form Clear Window Cleaning LLC. One might ask what would inspire an airplane mechanic to venture into such a specific line of work. His answer is just as pragmatic as the business itself. “I’m an entrepreneur at heart,” Frei said. “I just enjoy working – the feeling of building something from nothing. It’s something I’ve always held a fondness for.” Even while Frei maintained a healthy schedule between his full-time job and his family, that didn’t mean his own part-time job would reflect a drop in expectations or quality. 

Starting from the ground up in a new place is not always the easiest thing to do. When you have a standard of professionalism and attention to detail that Frei embodies, it can be even harder. While many in his industry can provide a cheaper price, he doesn’t feel the need to compete. Frei affectionately defines an amateur window cleaner as a “Bucket Bob” – someone who will undercut the cost of a job so dramatically, he doesn’t even feel that they are in the same league as what his Clear Window Cleaning has to offer. “Just like with almost anything, you get what you pay for,” Frei said. “Once I do a job, the results speak for themselves. It’s a professional result and the client can see the difference.” 

The reaction he gets from customers is just another reason why Frei enjoys running his own business. As the owner, Frei believes that it is imperative that his work reflects the standard that he has set for himself and the company. For him, it’s not just a side job to make a little extra money. It’s a part-time job that runs on a professional level. “A lot of those ‘Bucket Bob’ guys aren’t licensed, they aren’t insured – and with workers comp, that’s a huge gamble for customers,” Frei said. “If anything goes wrong, the homeowner is on the hook. So when people wonder why these individuals can bid out jobs for so little, that’s the reason why.” 

Frei jokes that the first warning sign of an amateur window cleaner is the presence of Windex. “I don’t know of a single professional company that has ever implemented Windex,” Frei said. “We use a standard, professional grade cleaner and surgical towels. They’re lint free.” As a small business owner, Frei understands the power of brand name and reputation. Upon acquiring his business licence and insurance, he began canvassing neighborhoods and businesses to inquire about their window cleaning needs. The customers who were using the Bucket Bob variety quickly saw the discernible difference in Frei’s work, and through his tireless work ethic and concrete results, word quickly spread about Clear Window Cleaning. 

While his company services the entire metro-Atlanta area and beyond, Frei still experiences a great flexibility in terms of setting his own schedule. And even though the business is growing at a pace that Frei feels comfortable with, staying debt-free remains one his greatest priorities. “The most common question I get from clients is about pressure washing,” he said. “There is always a huge demand for it. Having a pressure washer would definitely be a blessing, but one of my core rules is to never spend money that I don’t have. While I could probably buy one on credit and have it paid for after a few jobs, I just wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it that way.” 

As long as he continues to enjoy what he’s doing, Frei sees no reason to stop. While he may cite the ups and downs of the aviation industry, one can’t help but feel he enjoys having his own business regardless of the economic climate. “When your work has a reward that you can see with your own eyes at the end of a job, it just further solidifies my feeling that I love what I do.”

 Neil Burton and Marcus Norton of M N Window Cleaning, Long Sutton.

Ex-cop and soldier takes on new beat cleaning windows: When Neil Burton (39) is cleaning windows in Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge and Holbeach, there is no clue of the time he spent in the Army and police force. The father-of-two from Long Sutton spent seven years in the Grenardier Guards before serving as a police officer with Norfolk Constabulary for 15 years. But when long-time friend Marcus Norton (44), also of Long Sutton, offered Neil a chance to work for himself as a franchisee with Marcus’s business M N Window Cleaning, the offer was one that appealed.

Neil said: “I’d known Marcus for 13 years and also known that he’d built up an enviable reputation for reliability and trustworthiness with his firm. “When the opportunity came along earlier this year to become a franchisee with his business, I was interested because I’d be in charge of my own destiny. “It was an interesting prospect to run my own business and over the years I spent in the police and Army, I gained a lot of attributes that have transferred well to what I’m doing now.”

Neil left behind a life that included a role in four Trooping the Colour ceremonies, annually celebrating the Queen’s Official Birthday in June, and a two-year tour of duty in Northern Ireland prior to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 which set up devolved government in the country. Marcus said: “I’m really grateful that Neil came on board with me because I know he’s the right person for the job. “He’s a good worker, a professional person, trustworthy, has common sense, a good eye for detail and is good with people.”

Neil said: “It was monumental for me to change from doing something that people regard as one of the most secure occupation you can have to something that’s insecure. “But I’ve never looked back, I feel good for being outdoors all the time and I’m giving people a service.”

BED VALUE: The window cleaner has sex with her – and charges

Just Jane: My window cleaner lover makes me pay for sex -  I love his touch, but hate the fact that he still charges me for his visits. The problem is that his harridan of a wife runs his bookings and his money.

She knows how many calls he does each day, how long they all take, and how much he should be bringing home each week. He says he’s very sorry, but if he returns home short, then she’ll smell a rat and suspect that something is up. Well, something is up, and it’s happening in my bedroom on the third Wednesday of every month.

He’s booked, officially, to tackle my conservatory. But I fancy him so much that I can’t resist dragging him up to bed every time he calls. There we make passionate love in a frenzy of lust and abandonment. He’s just so hot that I can’t get his clothes off quickly enough. He’s cheeky with a great body and real baby face. All of the women around here fancy him and would love to shimmy with his chamois like I do… He laughs at how hungry and horny I am, but if he had my pathetic life, then he’d be anxious for excitement too. My husband is away all the time and doesn’t even know I exist.

We haven’t slept in the same room together for three years and he never even bothers to ring when he’s away. In contrast, my window cleaner’s wife is on to him like a flea. She rules the roost and he’s so terrified of her that he still charges me – even if he hasn’t got his rag wet. I realise he’s ripping me off and taking the pee, but what can I do when I desire him so much – and he knows it?

Jane says: How can you allow yourself to be used like this? Your cheeky non-window cleaning lover may have the face of angel, but he’s as wily as they come. So his wife is tricky, is she? Well, I bet she’s not half as tricky as he is. I can almost guarantee that you aren’t the only sex-starved woman he’s bedding or ripping off.

He’s clearly got his script off pat: “I’m very sorry, love, you have to pay me or I’ll get into trouble with the wife.” He’s a three-way winner. Not only does he get to bed you – and gets paid for it – but he doesn’t have to bother scrubbing your grubby conservatory either. Result.

Do yourself a favour and switch to a different company. Vow to sort your life out and start again. If things with your errant husband aren’t right then speak to him the next time he’s home and tell him that you can’t – and won’t – go on like this. Can your relationship be saved? Is he willing to talk about your problems and consider relationship counselling? If not, then is there really any point in you and he staying married if all you’re doing is keeping house and going through the motions?

Joes Job - Window Washer

Joe Flanagan tries out window washing.

Joe's Job: Window Washer (Norfolk) - Imagine making your living hanging from all the tallest buildings in the area. Independent Services of Virginia is one of the largest window washer groups in Hampton Roads and they were ready to show Joe what it looks like from the top of the SunTrust building in Norfolk. "Don't be afraid of heights. That's the main thing. If you don't feel comfortable as soon as you look down, don't do it," said  supervisor Roberto Gadvay.

Joe trained with Gadvay, who is fearless, agile and a veteran window washer. Joe said they have a system of mopping and wiping and then lowering their chair.  Step by step. Working their way down. "Normally we check the weather every morning. If it is over 10 mph we don't do anything because of a safety issue. But, if it is under 10 we will go ahead and climb over the wall," Gadvay explained.

Richard Cilley is president of Independent Services of Virginia and says they have a very healthy respect for descending off the building and they enjoy it.  "If they didn't enjoy it, obviously it's not something you do just as a job," said Cilley.

Joe dangled from the SunTrust building - handle mop on one side and squeezy on the other. A real life window washer. "Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Lovely,” said Joe, who is afraid of heights. "I was too when I started. The money was okay. It pays the bills," said window washer James Wright.

They usually clean big buildings just twice a year. "The whole building would take about two weeks with two or three guys," said Gadvay. So what did Gadvay think of Joe's window washing talents? "I think you would do great. I am actually impressed," said Gadvay.

Window Cleaners Key To Checking On Pensioners

Roy Holland had been cleaning the Ellis' windows for more than 10 years.

Caister-on-Sea bodies: Barry and Jean Ellis deaths 'not suspicious' - The deaths of two people at a bungalow in a Norfolk seaside resort are not being treated as suspicious, police have confirmed. Barry and Jean Ellis were found at their home in Upper Grange Crescent, Caister-on-Sea, after a window cleaner called police on Tuesday lunchtime. Roy Holland, 39, said the pair "hadn't been seen for days" and had pints of milk building up on their doorstep. Initial findings suggested Mrs Ellis died of natural causes, police said. It added further toxicology tests would be carried out on the bodies in due course. Officers have ruled out that Mr Ellis, 71, and Mrs Ellis, 69, suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. The couple, who have not been formally identified, had lived in the area for about 30 years. Firefighters checked the property with gas analysis equipment before police and paramedics could enter. 

Mr Holland, who has cleaned the couple's windows for more than 10 years, said: "It was quite a shock. It's not something which you like to see - it's a thought that won't got away for quite a while. "You get to know your customers and if they are in or out. Both cars were in the drive. "There were six pints of milk on the doorstep and the neighbours said they hadn't seen them for days. "I then decided to take a look through the window and saw the gentleman sitting in the chair. They never went anywhere without each other so if the gentleman was in, it was likely his wife was at home too." Mr Holland said Barry Ellis had worked on a gentleman's clothing stall on Great Yarmouth Market. Det Insp Sarah Pettengell said police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths. "We are continuing to carry out inquiries at the house and the focus of our investigation is inside the property," she said.

Mr Holland, 39, called police at lunchtime on Tuesday after discovering the couple. He had cleaned their windows for more than a decade and said they had been a "lovely, friendly couple".

Pensioner deaths 'not suspicious' - The deaths of two pensioners whose bodies were found in their Norfolk home by a window cleaner are not being treated as suspicious, police said. Post-mortem tests were carried out on the bodies of 71-year-old Barry and 69-year-old Jean Ellis after the discovery at their bungalow in the seaside resort of Caister-on-Sea. Further toxicology tests need to be carried to establish the cause of Mr Ellis's death, but Norfolk Police said it was clear Mrs Ellis had died as a result of natural causes, although the exact cause is not yet known. Officers have ruled out the possibility that either died as a result of carbon-monoxide poisoning. The couple, who have not been formally identified, had lived in the area for about 30 years.

Police forced their way into the property after window cleaner, Roy Holland, spotted them while on his rounds. Mr Holland, 39, called police at lunchtime on Tuesday after discovering the couple. He had cleaned their windows for more than a decade and said they had been a "lovely, friendly couple".

A cordon remains in place at the house in Upper Grange Crescent while forensic checks take place. Norfolk Police's Detective Inspector Sarah Pettengell said: "Whilst the deaths are currently being treated as unexplained, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with them. We are continuing to carry out inquiries at the house and the focus of our investigation is inside the property."

One Window Cleaner Pulled, Another Stuck

Window cleaner hurt after car runs over hose on St Giles, Norwich: A window cleaner was injured when a hose became trapped under a car. At 6.50am on Wednesday the man was cleaning windows on St Giles Street when a dark-coloured car ran over the hose, pulling the reel from the back of his van. He was knocked to the floor and he injured his shoulder. The car drove off and officers want to speak to the driver. Calls should be made to PC Pearce on 101.

Window washer briefly stuck on downtown Norfolk building: A man was briefly stuck outside the 13th floor of an office building in downtown Norfolk Friday morning. The man was washing windows on the USI building on Main Street when he apparently got stuck. Norfolk Fire and Rescue crews went to help, but the man had gotten himself to safety by the time they arrived, Battalion Chief Harry Worley told WVEC.

Another Rescue + Window Cleaning News

Window washers stuck 17 floors up on downtown Norfolk building, Norfolk: Rescue workers have reached two window washers stuck on malfunctioning scaffolding on a downtown Norfolk bank building. The two men are outside on the 17th floor of the BB&T building on E. Main Street. "The motor on the scaffolding burned out, so they can't move it ," said Battalion Chief Harry Worley. Technical rescue personnel rappelled about 20 feet from the roof to the scaffolding, harnessed the workers and were getting them back to safety. Some of Main Street in the immediate area is blocked off as crews manage the rescue effort on the west side of the building.

Norfolk, Va. - Rescue crews responded to the BB&T building in Norfolk where two window washers became stuck at the building's 17th floor Wednesday afternoon. According to Captain Mike Marsala with the Norfolk Fire Department, the two became stuck after a mechanical issue with one of the motors. The window washers were about 15 to 25 feet below the roof line and were unable to get to the scaffolding, Capt. Marsala told WAVY.com. Crews used ropes to access the crew and bring them to safety. C.L. Fault with the Technical Response Team told WAVY.com, "We went up there, found two victims stuck in the scaffolding, we built rope systems, lowered a firefighter down to them, placed them in a different harness and brought them up on top of the building one at a time." Fault said rescue crews are trained in rope rescue operations and undergo a lot of training in this type of rescue. It took just 45 minutes to bring the men to safety, Fault said. No injuries were been reported. 

Window washing competition attempts to set World Record: St. Pete Beach - Hundreds of window cleaners from around the world will try to break the Guinness World Record for fastest window cleaner during the 2011 International Window Cleaning Association Convention & Trade Show. The show starts February 16 and ends February 19 at the TradeWinds Island Resort. The contest will be friendly a friendly competition. Seasoned professional window cleaners will show off their skills as they try to break that world record. The race is focused on speed, but the competition will also be determined by the ability to clean glass accurately, without streaks and drips. The convention will also have education sessions featuring window cleaning tips, tools and techniques, safety training and compliance, marketing, improving your business and more. Another highlight of the convention will be a display of the newest equipment and resources available to the window washing industry. More info here.

Walking window washer finds business success in Bedford: When a job search did not yield results, Bobby Patterson decided to open his own business washing windows, painting fences and doing other odd jobs in Bedford. 

The joy of singlehood: Dave Atkinson, 42, of Port Credit, is unmarried and childless, a choice driven mostly by a desire to travel, which he does six months a year. It’s not a life that makes long-term relationships easy. It’s also not a life of luxury: He operates a one-man window and eavestrough cleaning company six months of the year, working 12-hour days and living in a modestly furnished bachelor apartment. Then, come winter, out comes his 28-litre backpack and he’s off. Is that selfish? Not, at all, he says, without apology. “Selfish means you’re doing something for your benefit to the detriment of others. If I choose not to have kids, that’s not about being selfish, it’s just about being a realist. I like ’em but I don’t want them. It’s more self-absorbed than selfish really.” Not all childless singles are quite so secure in voicing their status, though research suggests that more than half of all singles are not looking for a committed relationship. 

Subway shocker for 999 callers: Two friends who called 999 when they came across a girl having a fit were shocked to see the paramedics apparently stop for a sandwich en route. Leighton Hancock and Hayley Beavan dialled for an ambulance when they happened upon the 19-year-old epilepsy sufferer and her panicked friend in the street. They watched the ambulance pull up nearby. But instead of seeing the paramedics hurry over, they watched one of them go into Subway. Window cleaner Leighton said: “We assumed they were going to come over. I asked Hayley to wait with the girl and went over and asked if they had had a call about a girl having a fit and they said ‘yes’. “I said ‘She’s over the road. And you’re here and your friend is in Subway. Don’t you think you should go over there?” 

Man jailed after attempting to burgle three Burnley pensioners: A convicted sex attacker who tried to sneak into three pensioners' homes in Burnley has been jailed for 18 months. Leon Slattery, 24, had downed a litre of vodka, with orange, after visiting his little girl and was carrying a bag of alcohol. Burnley Crown Court was told the defendant, who was on a community order at the time, also had convictions for being a conman and had run a scam collecting window cleaning money. 

Ring leaders: Keene brothers shine in Golden Gloves boxing tournament - We’ll call them the “Bash Brothers,” although officially, in amateur boxing circles, where imposing nicknames and fancy robes aren’t allowed, they’re known simply as the Durling boys. In any event, Matt and Mike Durling, a pair of Keene High graduates who work, train and box together, have been making names for themselves with inspired runs to Northern New England Golden Gloves championships. “They’ve exceeded all of our expectations,” said Ed Farris of the Claremont Boxing Club, where the Durlings train twice a week. Between training sessions, the Durlings run a window washing business in Keene. 

Saelig Weighs in with Smart Load Sensor: LoadSense - an intelligent load sensor that can be integrated with a crane hook, fork lift or other handling device for intelligent feedback of loading events. It has an on-board single-chip computer for recording, analyzing and archiving readings, and wireless communications to transfer data in real time to a host computer. Applications include monitoring window cleaning cradles on high rise buildings. LoadSense is made by Sensor Technology, one of Europe's premier torque transducer suppliers, and is available from their USA distributor Saelig - starting at under $3,000. 

Plymouth Resident Climbs the Ladder of Entrepreneurship: Plymouth entrepreneur Lisa Temple knows a thing or two about the latter. A few weeks ago, I located Temple’s contact information via an online Plymouth business directory which advertised her company, Life Maid Easy: Temple was a professional residential and commercial cleaner. Fast forward five years and Temple, a 15-year Plymouth resident and proud mother of two (Kyleigh, 21, is a student at the University of Michigan, and Amanda, 15, is a student at Canton High School) is on an entirely different path, albeit one that seems poised to take her straight to the top, literally. Temple’s new venture involves a new business, one which enables her to represent and distribute a new product called the WorkStation Pro. The WorkStation Pro is a portable work/tool surface that has a universal fit securing it to the top of most extension ladders, which provides the user an accessible work area. “This is the new calling for my life,” Temple said with a healthy dose of conviction."Being a homeowner and a single parent, I’ve been on ladders and cleaned my gutters and hung Christmas lights and what not." "Well, when I got up on the ladder myself to try the product, I thought, I would actually not be afraid when I put this on my ladder. I could do this!" "As a woman, I could use a ladder now with this product and take care of my house and not have to hire someone."  Do you think that if you were still a professional cleaner the WorkStation Pro would be a part of your cleaning arsenal? "I think it would, particularly to get in the corners of high ceilings, for sky lights, and window cleaning." 

Social entrepreneurs should employ the long-term unemployed: Employing the homeless and ex-offenders changes lives and could have a huge social impact, says co-founder of Aspire. That is why social enterprises that create new jobs for unemployed people, (perhaps with a focus on ex-offenders, or ex-homeless people, or those with mental health issues), are an increasingly vital part of our sector. The nature of the work you offer is so vital. Decorating work and refurbishment of empty properties seems ideal. Many possible employees may have some experience of it; you can supervise a team of people relatively easy and you can see the fruits of your labour at first hand. I have also heard that gardening and window cleaning work has worked well – serving both the public and supplemented, perhaps, with larger contracts with businesses or local Councils. 

Icelandic volcano 'set to erupt' - Scientists in Iceland are warning that another volcano looks set to erupt and threatening to spew-out a pall of dust that would dwarf last year's event. Geologists detected the high risk of a new eruption after evaluating an increased swarm of earthquakes around the island's second largest volcano. Pall Einarsson, a professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland, says the area around Bárdarbunga is showing signs of increased activity, which provides "good reason to worry". By comparison, Bárdarbunga dwarves the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which shutdown most of Europe's airspace last year after its ash cloud drifted across the continent's skies. See info' here on: Window Cleaning Guideline After Volcanic Eruptions. 

Fujitsu's whiteboard-cleaning humanoid robot: Robots - is there anything they can't do? Actually, there's plenty - though a team of Italian and Japanese scientists have decided they should clean whiteboards instead. If movies have taught us anything though, it's that robots will eventually overthrow their cruel masters (us) and enslave humanity until the end of time, while harvesting our delicious organs for whichever evil ends they desire. Hence any demonstration of robotics is a cause for concern, whether it's Sony's lonely Japanese businessman toy, the robotic AIBO dog, or cyborgs such as Robocop or Stephen Hawking. A team of fate-tempting Italian and Japanese researchers have taught Fujitsu's HOAP-2 robot the menial and somewhat demeaning task of cleaning a whiteboard after discovering a breakthrough in the robot which was first released in 2003. The term the team is touting is “upper-body kinesthetic teaching”, which can apparently be applied to a variety of vertical surface tasks, such as wallpaper fitting or window cleaning. Truly, they have created the dullest robot you can ever imagine. The research was conducted as a joint effort between the Italian Institute of Technology and Tokyo City University and is to be presented at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in May 2011 in Shanghai, China - an event which has 'giant robot uprising begins' written all over it. Video here. 

Window washer Santo Pineda cleans the window at a Verizon store in Boston, Massachusetts February 10, 2011. Verizon Wireless began selling Apple's iPhone at long last on Thursday, ending AT&T Inc's more than three-year stranglehold on the device in the United States. 

Four more seek City Council seat: Four new applicants for a vacancy on Aspen City Council emerged Friday, taking the total number of people vying for the soon-to-be open seat to six. Marcia Goshorn, Jag Pagnucco, Dan Kitchen and Howie Mallory filed their applications with the city clerk’s office on Friday. Kitchen, who has long been an outspoken activist and protector of wildlife, is a master window washer, according to his application. He desires an appointment to the council “to make change with different options of how we spend and, or waste taxpayer money ... Entrance to Aspen - expand the Castle Creek Bridge ... Do we need a big box store - yes ... Do we spend money to study Droste - no! ... Droste and Seven Star [located in Pitkin County and Snowmass] should be close (sic) to all recreationalists June 20 to Oct. 20 ... We should not spend money to promote special events like the upcoming Quiznos bike event, etc.” Kitchen said he doesn’t plan to run for election this spring, but if he did, it would be for mayor. He added that he’s disappointed that Romero isn’t fulfilling the term he was elected to serve for the people of Aspen. “I think it’s highly poor of him,” to force the council and community to replace him, Kitchen said. 

What will be the alternatives to cheques? These include debit and prepaid cards, and various ways of paying for items with your mobile phone. It won't be long before Britons are using their handset to pay for items simply by placing it against the cash till reader – Visa has been testing the technology in Spain. Mobile-to-mobile payment systems are being developed where you pre-load your phone with cash and then pay the window cleaner by texting him, at which point the money instantly moves from your account to his. Alternatively, the window cleaner could set up a PayPal account. 

The Kravis Center: By any means, the building is not cheap to maintain. The administration estimates that it will cost a shocking $800,000 a year to keep the exterior clean alone. But when one takes into account the fact that IT’s servers and the chilling system for the entire west end of campus will be moved into the center, the figure becomes understandable.A large portion of the yearly maintenance costs results from the glass windows that make up much of the building’s exterior. The college has to contract out for exterior window cleaning, which costs approximately $12,500 per wash. According to Worley, “the Cal State Universities can’t wash their windows at all anymore,” but CMC plans to wash the exterior windows twice a year. 

Volunteers sign up in droves to run Burnham's tourist information centre: This week, Neville Jones, chairman of the charity, told the Weekly News: “I think you need 40 to 50 people in total to run it but it wasn't just people who wanted to sign up for one or two hours, but for a whole day at a time. “A window cleaner even said he'd clean the windows for free! “It gives you an idea of the good community spirit we have here. It's a good example of the big society and everyone working together.”