Following the fire at Staffordshire-based
SP Fireworks on Thursday 30 October, River Canal Rescue is currently working
from a temporary office. Emergency and
general enquiry lines are operational but on divert to mobiles - the main
switchboard number is 01785 785680.
All mail is being re-directed to the new
location so correspondence can continue to be posted to RCR at 10 Tilcon
Avenue, Baswich, Stafford ST18 0YJ or Freepost NAT 11249, Stafford,
Staffordshire ST17 0BR.
Despite the stores and offices being
gutted, Managing Director Stephanie Horton is confident the breakdown and
assistance firm will be up and running by spring - in time for the start of the
boating season.
She comments: “The fire wiped out stock
we’d built up since 2000– refurbished items and pieces of equipment which are
no longer produced. However, we’ve
started ordering base levels of stock so we can tick over and once we move into
more permanent premises, we’ll be able to build upon these. We would
welcome donations of any parts that need refurbishing to help us build the
essential stocks needed to support our customers.
“Thankfully, essential stock, such as fan
belts, filters and general breakdown parts was held in our eastern and southern
stores and our engineers have a supply of fan belts, filters etc on their vans,
so we can still supply these items very quickly. Certain replacement parts are likely to take
two to three days longer than usual as we are reliant on third-party suppliers,
but we will endeavour to provide an uninterrupted service where we can.”
Stephanie concludes: “Although these are
difficult times, we have contingency plans in place and a fantastic team to
ensure the business continues running.
This coupled with the goodwill of the boating community gives me
confidence for the future and I thank everyone for their messages of support.”
The team will not return to its original
location as the area is being bull-dozed.
Stephanie is therefore keen to hear from anyone who has a canal-side
property in the Staffordshire area to rent.
