Having been sweeping for a year I really enjoyed and learnt a lot from the course. I knew there were a lot of gaps in my knowledge of chimneys and sweeping from my other training but didn’t realise the amount I would learn in three days. This ranged from seemingly simple things such as sheeting up properly and taping along the brick joints (previously I struggled to stop soot egress) to correctly sizing brushes dependent on the flue. I haven’t found time to read the Michael Waumsley book yet but I know I will learn a lot from that tome. I really enjoyed the course. Many Thanks again for all your efforts – I really appreciate how much I have learnt,
Best wishes and a Merry Xmas.
Dave.
Dear Ryan,
Thank you for three days on the introductory course to chimney sweeping.
I travelled down from Swansea on the Sunday afternoon for the Monday morning start and stayed at the Travel lodge in Wadebridge.(good location only 10 mins from venue and the Falcon pub next door).
The venue was good, with all the items you will expect to encounter in the future, at hand. The fellow students were great and all came from various backgrounds. The food was also very good at lunchtime.
The course content was far more comprehensive than I first expected but it was all well delivered by Ryan who was able to answer all the questions that were asked.
Whilst I have a very diverse working background this was one of the best courses that I have had the privilege of attending, complimented with the knowledge and professionalism of a very good teacher in Ryan.
David
Hi Ryan,
I wanted to let you know what a great course you ran last week. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt loads of relevant information. It was pitched at exactly the right level and pace. With your non-stop helpful hints – you pass on several lifetimes of experience as an added bonus.
May I thank you both for your continued support during the past year. Before attending the course last December I had the determination to become a sweep, however lacked any knowledge whatsoever and was quite hesitant about the future, however, I gained so much from Ryan during the three days, not only a great depth of knowledge was imparted but the sheer enthusiasm and professionalism too. I have never looked back and have gained many customers through word of mouth recommendations as I just love my work and am meticulous with every job. Thank you.
Matt.
Having undertaken (and thoroughly enjoyed) the APICS Introduction to Chimney Sweeping Course (August 2014), I now feel confident enough to tackle a wide variety of appliances and will seek to do so in the safe, clean and professional manner that APICS requires of its members.
Julian Bosley
I just wanted to say thank you for the last three days.
Your depth of knowledge and experience shone through and your willingness to pass this on was greatly appreciated. The tips you gave not to mention the advice and contact sheet were well worth the fee. I have already used the contact sheet and ordered several items from it which will make my life easier and safer.
Thank you again and I look forward to our next contact.
Dave Bott
I would like to congratulate you on a very enjoyable and informative course.
I was impressed by the standard of professionalism but also the way the course was not intimidating to newcomers in any way.
Good communication and patience are vital to the success of courses in general and this one in particular and I was in no way disappointed.
David Balchin
Thank you Ryan for your energetic and enthusiastic delivery of the APICS course; it is clearly evident how passionate you are in giving your course students the best possible start.
It was great fun and I learnt loads. Your props, course folder and words of wisdom gave insight into the intricacies and the possible situations that could affect a new chimney sweep. These, learnt from years of your family chimney sweep business, are an invaluable resource.
The health and safety issues are high on your priority list as well as doing the best and cleanest job possible.
I am glad I did the two days practical mentoring directly after the course in Cornwall as it consolidated the course information. Many thanks to Laurie.
I have no hesitation in recommending your APICS course to any one, male or female, interested in chimney sweeping.
I will carry your advice, procedures and gems of experience as I pursue the role of chimney sweep in the future and hope to uphold the APICS code of practice.
Jenny C.
From the outset I must admit I was very concerned to pay for three days training on chimneys and their cleaning as I felt it might be one of the low points of my life.
I was surprised to find it very interesting and was able to keep my attention throughout the whole course.
The speaker communicated well and used demonstrations to get across the knowledge you require, he has the ability to talk around the subject and reinforce points from personal experience and can be very entertaining.
The group size was small (max. 5) and allowed for a very relaxed approach.
The venue was relatively new, clean and well presented, the food and refreshments supplied were very good.
To sum up I was more than happy with the course and felt it was very good value for money particularly when compared directly with other training providers.
Phill
I would just like to thank you for the information and knowledge you gave us on the three day course. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I also found the two days out with Jamie invaluable, he is a true professional and taught me a lot, please could you pass on my huge thanks to him.
Once again thank you for an excellent course.
Pete
I just wanted to drop you a line to say how much I enjoyed my time on the course. I consider myself an experienced sweep with already having an engineering and building background, but still wanted to join the APICS organisation as it is always good to have the backing of of a body such as yours.
I learnt so much on the course and it was interesting to see how you yourself started out and some of the methods you used.
The people who were also on the course I am sure I will stay friends with for years to come.
Thank you for all your help and knowledge, it was a pleasure to be taught by you.
Ian
Thank you for providing such a great course. I really enjoyed my time in December and thought the content was fantastic.
It has certainly served me well in my sweeping career to date!
Mark
I attended your introductory chimney sweeping course earlier this month (September 2012) and would just like to say that I found the course to be very informative. In fact, some of the tips that I learnt from you, I’m sure will prove to be invaluable in the future. Your teaching methods were very clear and I enjoyed the course immensely. I did contemplate becoming a sweep without any appropriate training. I now realise that this would have been a foolhardy approach as there is a lot more involved in chimney sweeping than I originally thought. Attending your course has given me the confidence and knowledge to go out and work on my own safely as a sweep.
Paul
I flew from Scotland to Exeter, rented a car and drove to the venue in Cornwall in June 2012.
I was a bit apprehensive because I did not have any chimney experience and had never looked into a flue in my life. Ryan assured me that he would keep the technical talk as simple as possible so that all the students (5 of us) could keep up.
Two of the students were already chimney liners and knew most of the terminology Ryan used. It was easy for them! I had to ask Ryan a lot more questions than anyone else and ask for explanations but that was never a problem. It was a small group and we got to ask as many questions as we liked.
The ‘experts’ beside me had time for a joke or two at my expense when I needed extra help but they were also prepared to help with answers.
It was a really nice small class and the two days flew by. There was a pub next door and we spent some time after class having a pint and sharing a good meal. I found it all a very pleasant experience. I did not stay for the two shadowing days as I thought I had something lined up nearer home. I regretted this later.
On the second day we all had a shot at sweeping with Jamie to get the feel of the brush and this was the highlight for me. All the answers to my questions that I had received became clearer. After this we went to a stove showroom to become more familiar with the different types of stoves on the market. Again this made things clearer for me.
On the first day I was surprised at how comprehensive the course was in terms of different fireplaces, flues and the tools of the trade.
Now after a month I am still firing questions at Ryan via email and I am sure this will continue for a while. I am sure there is no question that Ryan cannot answer about chimneys and that the answer is quickly on its way back to me.
Ryan is always helpful and is happy to answer my questions and I’m sure he will continue to do so.
Dutchie
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the sweeps course. It was very interesting and informative. I know I will be in touch pestering you with questions about one thing or another (hope that’s OK), as there is a lot more to this game than I thought!
Cheers!
Rob
