🚧 FenceX 2025 – Book Your Free Tickets Now! 🚧

FenceX 2025 is shaping up to be the biggest and most exciting fencing industry event yet! With top exhibitors including IAE, CLA, Harper Chalice, Borg Locks, Fastline, Goel & Goel, Zaun, QAB, Barkers, FaCT, First Fence, Gatemaster, Panthera, MRT, CLD, Siddall & Hilton, Lochrin Bain, Locinox, Tornado, and Scanpole, this is the must-attend event for fencing professionals.

Expect thrilling destruction testing, a dedicated Gate Automation Zone, live outdoor demonstrations, and insightful seminars. If you’re interested in demonstrating your product in our destruction testing, contact fencex@theafi.co.uk.

📅 Join us on 15th October 2025 at NAEC Stoneleigh!
🎟️ Get your FREE tickets or book your stand now at www.fencex.com!

AFI Membership Renewals

To ensure all members continue to meet the high standards outlined in our Code of Practice and Terms & Conditions, we are introducing new requirements for membership renewal. From 2025, all renewing members will need to provide:

• A copy of your up-to-date insurance documents (employer, public liability, and all-risk).
• Your latest financial accounts.
• A positive reference.

These updates will help maintain the credibility and reputation of AFI members while positioning you for future opportunities.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in implementing these changes, which are designed to strengthen the AFI and the value we provide to our members.

If you have any questions about the renewal process, or member benefits, please don’t hesitate to contact Pete or myself at victoria@theafi.co.uk or 0203 772 0617

Infrastructure Investment 

As part of its Plan for Change, the Government has announced further measures to speed up the delivery of homes and infrastructure projects across the UK, with the Prime Minister promising to “back the builders of this nation and say no to the blockers” as part of his mission to kickstart economic growth. The latest measures include:

• £2.65 billion in funding over the next two years to build or maintain up to 1,000 flood defences, protecting more than 66,000 properties.
• £90 million of funding to upgrade four major road schemes in England: A350 Chippenham Bypass in Wiltshire, A647 Dawsons Corner and Stanningley Bypass in Leeds, South East Aylesbury Link Road in Buckinghamshire, and A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange in Essex.
• Reform of planning rules to allow smaller nuclear power plants to be built for the first time in the UK.
• Launch of a consultation on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector, which would include offering landlords a choice over how to meet the standards and a maximum energy efficiency investment cap of £15,000 per property.
• 
  The Government has published a working paper detailing the principles and objectives for its 10‐year infrastructure strategy, which will be published in June and set out a long‐term plan for the country’s economic, social and housing infrastructure, and members can provide feedback via email.

Countdown to Open Doors 2025

There is just over a month to go until Open Doors 2025 which will see more than 220 construction sites and workplaces across the UK taking young people and those looking for a change of career behind the scenes from Monday 17 ‐ Saturday 22 March to showcase the wide range of opportunities available in the construction sector.

 

Driving for Better Business – new fleet safety focus update

Distracted Driving – pages 30-31 in the AFI Van Driver Booklet

Driving is for the most people the most dangerous activity they can do.

We know that in the great majority of cases the initial cause of a crash is around driver behaviour, with distraction, often by mobile phone, both hands-free and handheld, being a major issue. These crashes can so easily result in severe injury or fatality.

It’s vital that as an organisation, and as a manager or owner you are confident that your drivers understand the importance of not being distracted when  driving. Distraction can lead to charges of death by dangerous driving or death by careless driving, resulting in severe penalties, prosecution and even imprisonment.

Hands-free calls are dangerous. Drivers should not answer work calls until they are parked somewhere safe to take the call. And remember, distraction comes in the form of other activities as well – eating, reading and anything that takes their attention and focus away from their key task of driving.

So, how confident are you that your drivers will not be distracted when driving? Do you have a strict no-mobile policy, which requires phones to be turned off or blocked while driving?

Driving for Better Business in collaboration with the National Highways Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team are providing free to access resources to help those who manage and employ drivers. Their Fleet Safety Focus Updates cover an important area every month. This month’s update focuses on Distraction and the risks around Distracted Driving, 

It includes a link to a file of useful resources for you to download and share with your drivers, including:

• An article to share with your drivers on Distraction
• Short safety messages on the risk of distracted driving to send to your drivers on their devices
• A ‘Distraction Kills’ poster for your staff noticeboards
• Information sheets from our Van Driver Toolkit on Distraction.

Access this month’s Fleet Safety Focus and watch the video here.