Stephen Falder, Sales & Marketing Director of Manchester surface coatings manufacturer, HMG Paints, is responsible for a high level report on the regulation of scientific research, newly published by the Government’s Better Regulations Task Force. Stephen, who lives in Knutsford, Cheshire, was appointed to the BRTF last year, joining a select group of fifteen Task Force members drawn from various sectors of industry and public life, all of whom have experience of regulatory issues.

Established in September 1997, the BRTF is an independent body, which advises the Government on action that improves the effectiveness of government regulation and its enforcement, with particular regard to the needs of small business and ordinary people. This is achieved by members ensuring that regulation is necessary, fair, affordable and simple to understand and administer.

As a director of a successful, family-owned paint manufacturing business and its overseas subsidiaries, Stephen Falder has a thorough working knowledge of interpreting and implementing pertinent legislation and clear views about avoiding unnecessary red tape. Underling his credentials, he is also a CBI Regional Councillor, a member of the Institute’s Council representing small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s), and Vice Chair of the British Manufacturers’ Sector Skills Council, responsible for a £2 million budget.

As Chair of the BRTF’s Science sub-group, Stephen was instrumental in the publication of the latest report ‘Scientific Research: Innovation with Controls’, which considers how Government can balance the UK’s role as a world leader in scientific innovation, with public unease about the direction of some research. It suggests that when ‘blue skies’ research is carried out, Government should define boundaries that reflect the public’s moral and ethical concerns, as well as the need to protect them and their environment. The report concludes that it is only in the later stages of research, when clinical and field trials are being undertaken, that specific regulations would be required.

The BRTF is chaired by David Arculus, former Chairman of IPC, and overseen by Cabinet Office official, Phil Wynn Owen, who reports to Lord Macdonald, Minister for the Cabinet Office. He in turn reports directly to the Prime Minister, who has asked Ministers to respond to Task Force publications within 60 days. In this instance, Lord Hunt at the Department of Health has agreed to do so, with contributions from Michael Meacher at DEFRA and the Office of Science & Technology.

Copies of the report may be requested from the Task Force at taskforce@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk and 020 7276 2142.

Press Contact David Gent Creative
Tel 01706 220388
Fax 01706 215849
email david@davidgent.com

Professional violinist Joseph Crean is meticulous about instrument preparation, some friends would even say over the top. So when he changed the fiddle’s conventional wooden tuning pegs for geared machine heads, to allow finer control and prevent too many broken strings, he wasn’t entirely happy about the colour of the grey plastic grips. He wanted gold, to match the heads.

Having drawn a blank with local bodyshops and paint suppliers, Joseph was recommended Manchester surface coatings producer, HMG Paints, which had just the material required and even offered to spray them professionally for him. Being Joseph, his violin peg paint wasn’t just any finish either, but an Acrythane 2-pack acrylic polyurethane, as used on super yachts and Starchaser supersonic rockets!

London-based Joseph Crean plays Irish folk rock music with considerable gusto and fellow band members are used to him endeavouring to get things exactly right. He doesn’t actually play a violin, for instance, but uses a viola tuned to a violin pitch, since the neck is wider (like a German Haff apparently). It’s also strung with two guitar strings, one violin and one viola, to produce just the right sound.

He also likes to finely tune his instrument during gigs, although he was struggling to tighten the strings precisely with the normal stiff wooden pegs, often breaking them in the process. Changing the pegs to geared metal machine heads was the solution therefore, although they had to be banjo versions to get exactly the right angle to the neck.

The engineering-grade plastic turning grips are now spray painted gold with HMG’s high performance Acrythane, which adheres strongly to the substrate and is extremely resistant to abrasion, cleaning agents, even alcohol and perspiration, which should serve Joseph well in concert environments. It also gives a high gloss metallic finish, which was matched to the machine head body. The Acrythane was specified and applied by HMG lab technician, Alan Bradwell, who even took the trouble to contact the component manufacturers to verify the material, which shows that Joseph is not the only one to be painstaking in his approach.

Joseph is delighted with the result and is installing the new grips one by one as the strings eventually break, to avoid putting too much pressure on the bridge and neck. He is now working on some solo projects and has promised to HMG Paints a copy of his next CD, perhaps entitled ‘Goldfingers’.

Further enquiries to:

HMG Paints
Riverside Works
Collyhurst Road
Manchester
M40 7RU
Telephone 0161 205 7631
email sales@hmgpaint.com

Press Contact David Gent Creative
Tel 01706 220388
Fax 01706 215849
email david@davidgent.com