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News
 Driveway turntable turns heads
A domestic driveway turntable installed at the front of an architect's house in central Edinburgh is causing a stir with passers-by.
The British Turntable revolve has been installed at the property to make life safer for its owners to drive onto and off a very busy street which lies in Stockbridge, on the northern edge of the Georgian New Town, on one of the main routes to Princes Street and the centre of the city.
Finished with Caithness stone to match the adjacent path, the flush-fitted 4m diameter turntable is a stunning addition to the house, a category ‘B' listed Georgian villa built in 1814. The alterations, which included widening the front gate, were combined with restoration of the Craigleith stone front wall and railings.
British Turntable Co to delivered the turntable with the top divided into four quadrants so that the stone tiles could simply be laid in loose on a geotextile on the steel surface. Keeping the Caithness stone pieces small (300 x 150 x 25mm) kept the weight down, and laying them in dry, without mortar, minimised the risk of cracking under the weight of the car. Not a single tile has cracked.
"We are more delighted than we can say with the turntable", say architect James Simpson and his wife Ann, a curator in the Gallery of Modern Art. "We have lived in the house since 1975, when parking was just about manageable, but this, of course, became more and more impossible as time went by. The beauty of the turntable is that we can accommodate the car safely while retaining three quarters of our front garden. We had no difficulty getting Listed Building Consent for the work.
"We decided to finish the top surface with Caithness stone so that it would blend in well with the pathway, and it has become the cause of a great deal of interest. It works wonderfully well, and I have to say the turntable is the talking point of the area. People are amazed when I show them that I can push the car round with my little finger, and older people are always reminded of railway turntables, on which the driver and fireman could push round a steam locomotive! I always refer them to the British Turntable Co website."
The Edinburgh installation has been adapted from British Turntable's standard CU5 turntable to meet the customer's requirements for the stone to be used as a surface finish and to take a larger than average motor vehicle. Once the car is parked on the turntable it can be pushed round quite easily to face the opposite direction despite the added weight of the stone. The driver can therefore enter and leave the property, both in a forwards gear, without the need for multi-point turns, thereby reducing subsequent wear and tear on tyres, driveway surface and driver.
British Turntable also offers a standard manually operated driveway turntable that will suit most domestic requirements. The standard 3.6m diameter DriveAway, as it is called, comes as a complete kit that can be flush-fitted into the driveway itself with the help of a builder or, if budgets are tight, it can be self-installed on top of the driveway surface and accessed by the ramps provided. Other diameters for heavier loads and electrical operation can be provided on request.
Further information is available from Phil Childs on tel: +44 (0)1204 525626, e-mail: info@turntable.co.uk, or by visiting the website at www.driveawaymat.co.uk. Back to the Home page  Setember 2006
CHRISTMAS WISH COME TRUE?
With Christmas just round the corner comes the perennial problem of what to buy the biker who has everything. British Turntable could provide the solution, with The MAT motorcycle turntable.
The MAT is a very useful device that allows a bike to be turned round quickly and easily in a limited space – in a garage or on the drive, for instance - reducing stress on the bike owner and lowering the chances of damaging the bike or the garage contents.
It takes very little effort to operate: by dropping the centre stand down onto The MAT the bike can be balanced with both wheels off the ground and rotated gently. And as The MAT's profile is only 12mm, standing the bike on the turntable takes little more energy than parking the bike on the road.
Two versions are available, the 35cm diameter MAT 350 and the 45cm diameter MAT 450, meaning that just about any bike with a centre stand (recommended weight up to 300kg) can be accommodated. The price is right, too: The MAT 350 is only £58.05 and the larger MAT 450 £88.36 including VAT and delivery to a UK address.
The MAT has enjoyed considerable success because of its simple but well-engineered double disc construction that makes it easy to use and extremely portable – it can be stored in the bike pannier for use away from home.
"This product has changed my life," says MAT user David Stevens. "No more 6-point turns in the garage. No more trying not to damage the freezer. Just amazing!" And Honda owner, Andrew Ingram, comments," The MAT makes it easy to turn my bike around in seconds. Within the confines of my garage there is no other option. I'm also delighted with the customer service I experienced from British Turntable – it was nothing short of exceptional."
The MAT can be ordered from The MAT Sales on +44 (0)1204 525626 or online from this site. All major credit and debit cards are accepted, and delivery is offered to UK addresses within 28 days. Overseas customers should contact The MAT Sales for a delivered price and delivery details. The MAT is also available from most UK mail order motorcycle catalogues.
  June 2006
ACCESS TO BUSY MAIN ROAD OVERCOME BY DRIVEAWAY
Two young families living near to on another on the busy A32 Brockhurst Road - the main route from Fareham into Gosport in south Hampshire - have been working together to solve vehicle access to their homes by installing DriveAway car revolves from British Turntable without reducing or spoiling the front garden area, and at the same time satisfying borough council regulations.
With the local highways department not encouraging residents to reverse onto or off the main road - a dangerous procedure in any book - and the planning department resistant to the practice of opening up the front garden to create a turnaround area, homeowners have found it difficult, if not impossible, to park their cars on their own properties. Being built in the late Victorian era, the semi-detached houses were not designed with drives, neither was there a dropped kerb at the roadside to assist vehicles to drive onto or off the properties smoothly. Parking nearby is scarce, and with a baby and all the paraphernalia that goes with infants to transport from car to house, not to mention the shopping, the situation for both theses couples was becoming almost unmanageable.
Installation of the DriveAway turntables has now solved all the problems faced by the two young families. As they can now demonstrate they can drive onto and off their properties in a forward direction, the council has agreed to allow the kerb to be dropped in front of their houses; the gardens have not been sacrificed; the families feel more secure having their cars in close proximity to their houses; and the effort taken to load and unload the car when on a family outing has been reduced considerably.
A DriveAway is being flush-fitted into block-paved areas at each of the Gosport homes, although its low profile construction allows it to be surface-mounted where flush-fitting is not an option. Developed to solve the dangerous procedure of reversing onto or off a busy main road, the revolve is also proving to be eco- and user-friendly. Manually driven and easily installed, it has been instrumental in gaining planning consents for new-build and in-fill housing where access provisions onto the highway have otherwise been restricted or absent.
Operation of the DriveAway is simple: the car is driven onto the turntable and when the time comes for it to be driven off again it can be gently pushed round with a minimum of effort. It is well engineered, reliable and robust, and promises many years of trouble-free operation.
Further information is available from Phil Childs on tel: +44 (0)1204 525626, e-mail: info@turntable.co.uk.
ENDS
PHOTOS: Two young families living on the busy A32 Brockhurst Road have solved vehicle access to their homes by installing British Turntable's DriveAway car revolves while satisfying borough council regulations. (Image(s) available from Chris Macpherson, Chapelfield Associates Ltd., tel: 01204 842818, email: chris@chapelfieldpr.com
  June 2006
BRITISH TURNTABLE SAVES BLOOD RUNNERS TIME
British Turntable's MAT motorcycle revolve is helping the ‘Blood Runners' of Sussex, Surrey and Kent speed up their turn round time as well as preventing damage to an expensive bike donated to the charity through the stalwart fund-raising efforts of local people.
The Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers (SERV), as the Blood Runners are more correctly known, transports emergency blood, blood products and medical equipment free of charge outside of official NHS transportation services hours. Operating between 7pm until 6am 365 days a year and with 24 hour cover on Bank Holidays, SERV is manned entirely by volunteers who receive no compensation for their time, petrol, maintenance or any other costs incurred, having to cover these out of their own pockets.
The service saves Sussex and Kent hospitals approximately £45,000 every year, which can be used to improve patient care and other essential facilities within the hospitals.
Blood Runner, Dean Wickham comments, "I have been using the MAT turntable for my own bike, a Honda Blackbird, for the past three years and I couldn't live without it now. My driveway is on a slope and there is no room to do a 300-point turn, so the turntable enables me to enter the garage and turn the bike round quickly and easily, ready to drive straight back out. If I didn't have the turntable I could pretty much guarantee that I would have dropped my bike many times by now trying to manoeuvre it in such a tight space.
"With regard to the SERV bike, it took a long time to raise the funds to get this bike and I wouldn't like to damage it manoeuvering it about in the garage. The bike is also operated by other riders who have garages and tight areas, so the MAT simply stays in the side panel of the bike for all SERV riders to use. Most also have their own bike, so the MAT makes storing the SERV bike and their own so much easier. It really is a valuable piece of kit!"
The MAT, which is available in 35cm and 45cm diameters, takes very little effort to operate. The rider simply drops the centre stand down onto The MAT, which allows the bike to be balanced with both wheels off the ground, when it can be rotated gently. The MAT features a simple but well-engineered double disc construction and is made by the UK's leading manufacturer of display and industrial turntables, whose successful 46 years of production and development have earned the company an excellent reputation for product quality and integrity.
The MAT is available from the website at www.driveawaymat.co.uk or by telephoning 01204 525626. All major credit and debit cards are accepted, and delivery is offered to UK addresses within 28 days. The MAT is also available from most UK mail order motorcycle catalogues.
More details are available from Phil Childs on tel: +44 (0)1204 525626, email: info@turntable.co.uk. Further information on SERV can be found at www.serv.org.uk.
ENDS
PHOTO: British Turntable's MAT motorcycle revolve keeps the Blood Runners of Kent, Surrey and Sussex on the move. (Image(s) available from Chris Macpherson, email: chris@chapelfieldpr.com, tel: +44 (0)1204 842818).
 January 2006
DRIVEWAY TURNTABLE CONTROLS EXHAUST FUMES
A DriveAway turntable from British Turntable has helped a Cambridge architect design and build a bungalow that protects next-door neighbours from unpleasant and harmful carbon monoxide emissions. Instead of having to manoeuvre the car round with the engine running, any potential new owners of the Shepreth property will simply be able to drive onto the turntable, switch off the engine and turn the car round manually when they are ready to drive off again.
Architect Mirjana Stojanovic-Rathmell explains: "Local building regulations require a space for a three-point turn on the property so that a car can be driven onto and off the nearby main road in a forward direction – reversing the car in and out was not an option. This meant, of course, that a turning space would be needed. Installing the DriveAway means this space is not needed as the car can be pushed round manually in a relatively small area."
Ms Stojanovic-Rathmell has further enhanced the driveway to the property by installing a car port over the turntable to create an attractive parking area.
The DriveAway, which was originally developed to prevent drivers reversing onto or off busy main roads, has helped several property owners overcome difficulties with local building regulations or where planning applications have been refused for new-build properties and house extensions. Because the DriveAway allows a vehicle to be turned round on its own axis in one simple operation – the driver simply drives onto the turntable and pushes the car round to face the required direction before driving off again – more space can be achieved to accommodate the garden and parking places, and clean air is preserved as the car can be turned without running the engine.
The standard 3.6 metre diameter manual DriveAway installed at the Shepreth property is robust enough to take the majority of family-sized vehicles. Its low profile makes it easy for a builder to flush-fit into the driveway itself, or it can be self-installed on top of the driveway surface and used with ramp pads, which are provided with the unit. Larger models are available to accommodate almost any size vehicle, and there is an option to have the unit powered, with or without remote control.
Further information is available from Phil Childs on tel: +44 (0)1204 525626, e-mail: info@turntable.co.uk.
PHOTO: A DriveAway turntable from British Turntable helps protect next-door neighbours from unpleasant and harmful carbon monoxide emissions. (Image(s) available from Chris Macpherson, email: chris@chapelfieldpr.com, tel: +44 (0)1204 842818).
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 October 2005
IDEAL CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR THE BIKER
The MAT motorcycle turntable from British Turntable could provide the solution for the perennial problem of what to buy for the biker who has everything. And with two versions available, the 35cm diameter MAT 350 and the 45cm diameter MAT 450, just about any bike with a centre stand can be accommodated. The price is right, too: the MAT 350 is only £49.95 and the larger MAT 450 £72.50, including VAT and delivery to a UK address.
The MAT is an incredibly useful device that makes manoeuvring a bike quicker and easier, particularly where space is limited. Taking very little effort to operate, it works by dropping the centre stand down onto The MAT, allowing the bike to be balanced with both wheels off the ground, when it can be rotated gently. As The MAT's profile is only 12mm, standing the bike on this turntable takes little more energy than parking the bike on the road.
The MAT has enjoyed considerable success because of its simple but well-engineered double disc construction that makes it easy to use and extremely portable. "The MAT is fantastic," says delighted BMW bike owner, Dean Miller. "It does exactly what it says on the tin! It (quite literally) turns the 10 minute 9 point turn, grunt and shove hassle of putting my bike away in the garage into a two-minute glide." And Honda owner, Andrew Ingram, comments," The MAT makes it easy to turn my bike around in seconds. Within the confines of my garage there is no other option. I'm also delighted with the customer service I experienced from British Turntable – it was nothing short of exceptional."
Buyers of The MAT have the added benefit of knowing is that it is made by the UK's leading manufacturer of display and industrial turntables, whose successful 46 years of production and development has earned the company an excellent reputation for product quality and integrity.
The MAT can be ordered from MAT Sales on +44 (0)1204 525626 or online from the website at www.driveawaymat.co.uk. All major credit and debit cards are accepted, and delivery is offered to UK addresses within 28 days. Overseas customers should telephone MAT Sales for a delivered price. The MAT is also available from most UK mail order motorcycle catalogues.
More details are available from Phil Childs on tel: +44 (0)1204 525626, email: info@turntable.co.uk or from the website at www.driveawaymat.co.uk.
PHOTO: The MAT from British Turntable makes an ideal Christmas gift for the biker who has everything. (Image(s) available from Chris Macpherson, tel: 01204 842818, email: chris@chapelfieldpr.com)
 October 2005
GARAGE TURNTABLE INCREASES PARKING FACILITIES
A 4.2 metre diameter turntable designed by British Turntable has allowed a property developer to provide more parking spaces for residents in a new apartment block on the Isle of Man.
The turntable was chosen by the builders, Brookvale Properties of Ramsey, to optimise the basement area of the building. As the apartment block is situated on a sloping site, space became available at basement level for parking, however this was a fairly limited amount, and Brookvale felt that more bays could be provided if access to them could be improved.
John Richmond of Brookvale explains: "Installing the turntable means that drivers don't need the normal turning circle of a car to manoeuvre their vehicles in and out of the car park. All they do is drive onto the turntable, push the car round manually, and drive or reverse into the relevant parking bay. It's an ingenious, yet simple, concept, and it's so easy to turn a car round that it can be used by all ages.
"We've also installed electronic gates to the parking area so that residents of the block have good, secure off-road parking facilities for their vehicles. They really appreciate the whole idea, especially as it means they can drive onto and off the property without reversing or making multi-point turns."
The installation, which includes a braking system recommended by British Turntable to ensure that the turntable is not moved accidentally, also means that residents can drive onto and off the main road in a forwards direction, as does British Turntable's domestic DriveAway turntable for a single home. The DriveAway was designed specifically to make it safer for car owners living on main roads to access their properties by eliminating the need to reverse onto or off the drive. The standard, 3.6 metre diameter DriveAway is suitable for most family-size cars, however for a multi-occupancy building such as Brookvale had built, a unit with greater capacity was needed to allow for larger vehicles and the higher frequency of use. Both the DriveAway and custom-built vehicle turntables are designed with a low profile to make them easy to flush-fit into the base surface; they can also be adapted for electrical operation where this is more appropriate to the site.
Further information is available from David Houghton on tel: 01204 525626, e-mail: info@turntable.co.uk.
PHOTO: A 4.2 metre diameter turntable designed by British Turntable has allowed Brookvale Properties in the Isle of Man to provide more parking spaces for residents in a new apartment block. (Image(s) available from Chris Macpherson, email: chris@chapelfieldpr.com, tel: +44 (0)1204 842818).
[image]November 04
TURNING THE TABLES A SOUND INVESTMENT
When building a brand new house in the busy Height Street in the pretty village of Sharnbrook, a Bedfordshire man was faced with the dual problem of street noise and accessing his property safely by car. Both problems have been solved by installing a DriveAway vehicle turntable from British Turntable Co.
The first problem, that of street noise, could easily be solved by building the house well back off the road, however this meant constructing a long narrow drive, not only difficult to reverse down, but highly dangerous to exit when reversing onto the main road itself. By installing the DriveAway, he is now able to drive onto the property and off again in a forwards direction without putting life and limb at risk.
Tony Brown explains, "I was very worried about backing my car onto or, indeed off, the main road because of the danger it posed to myself and other road users. Now I can simply drive in and park the car on the DriveAway turntable; when I'm ready for the off again I can turn the car completely round by hand and exit safely - the effort required is minimal.
"It's such a great idea, and it could also be a great help to the older driver who might not find it comfortable to twist the body round if reversing. While mirrors help, the vision they offer is limited and they can't warn you of other drivers who might be tearing through the village over the speed limit, as too many drivers do.
"For me, the DriveAway is a great investment, and if I eventually sell my property it could make all the difference to a potential buyer."
The DriveAway has been developed over a number of years in response to customer demand to improve road safety if living in a built-up area or to improve access to property where the drive is long, winding or narrow.
With its low profile of only 70mm, the economically priced DriveAway can easily be
flush-fitted into the driveway; alternatively it can be installed on top of the driveway surface, and ramps are provided to allow the vehicle to be driven onto it safely. It is robust enough to take the majority of family-sized vehicles, smooth to operate and is built to withstand inclement weather conditions with very little maintenance.
Further information is available from Phil Childs on tel: 01204 525626, e-mail: info@turntable.co.uk, or from Arnold Matthews on tel: 01525 872427, email: aamatthews@onetel.com, or by visiting the website at www.driveawaymat.co.uk.
PHOTO: Installing a DriveAway domestic turntable from British Turntable allows Tony Brown to live quietly behind a busy high street while having safe and easy access to the main road.
[image]October 2004
DRIVEWAY TURNTABLE MOVES OVERSEAS
British Turntable is expanding its sales operations for the DriveAway domestic car turntable to overseas markets with the appointment of local agents to demonstrate the benefits of the revolve, facilitate the buying process and help with installation if required.
Initially the company will be focusing on British expatriates buying second homes, investment properties or looking to retire overseas and has already started its drive into these markets with the appointment of Reece Gower, a businessman operating in the Canary Islands. British Turntable will also welcome enquiries from expats in other areas interested in promoting the DriveAway in their own locality.
Reece, who is based in Tenerife, has considerable experience of the home- buying and -building market in his area and is delighted to be involved with British Turntable on the DriveAway. "I know the DriveAway will solve very real safety and building issues faced by many families moving abroad, and it may mean the difference between getting planning permission to build a property or not. I'm looking forward to offering expats all the benefits of the DriveAway that they can obtain at home; it's a simple, novel concept that provides the ideal solution to planning, manoeuvring and parking difficulties," he says.
The DriveAway is a low profile, manually operated turntable which can be flush-fitted into the driveway or garage with the help of a builder, or it can be self-installed on top of the driveway surface. By driving the vehicle onto the DriveAway it can be pushed round, with minimal effort, to enable the vehicle to be driven off again in a forward gear.
DriveAway owner, Don Openshaw, has a unit installed in the garage of his home in Tenerife. "It's proving to be one of the best investments that I have made in many years", says Don. The driveway into my garage not only has a nasty slope, but it has a bit of a dog-leg, too, making reversing-out into quite a busy road pretty scary. We often took the easy option and used the second car, which left one very under-utilised Ferrari Modena 360 collecting dust rather than kilometres. The turntable was easy to install, and we find it's extremely easy to rotate a car on it, even for my nine stone lady." So happy is Don with the unit that he recommended the product to his neighbour, who subsequently purchased one to resolve similar reversing difficulties.
Originally developed to provide a solution to the dangerous procedure of reversing onto or off a busy main road, the DriveAway is proving to offer additional benefits for homeowners with restricted entry to their properties or where medical conditions in the driver make twisting the upper body and neck while reversing a vehicle difficult or painful - the DriveAway simply removes the requirement to reverse.
Economically priced, the DriveAway is robust enough to take the majority of family-sized vehicles up to 1800kg in weight; it is smooth in operation, built to withstand inclement weather conditions and requires little maintenance.
Further information is available from British Turntable on tel: +44 (0)1204 525626,
e-mail: info@turntable.co.uk, or by visiting the website at www.driveawaymat.co.uk.
PHOTO: The DriveAway allows cars to be pushed round on the drive or in the garage with minimal effort, enabling the vehicle to be driven off again in a forward gear. Back to top
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