In the last few weeks we’ve taken our Cabooses to Reading to give extra accommodation for key workers at The Royal Berkshire Hospital. It was very satisfying to provide our bedrooms for such an important cause and the client was delighted on everything we did and the speed we achieved it, but it was not all plain sailing.
At Caboose & Co. we pride ourselves on not just dropping off rooms at an event, but helping clients develop their entire accommodation offering and manage the process so they can concentrate on the million and one other things on their To Do list. Working in the early days of Lock Down proved quite difficult on many levels as we tackled many issues that would normally be easy to overcome.
The first priority was ensuring our install team were safe and wouldn’t be exposed to the virus. This meant travelling in separate cars, conversing with each other, the client and contractors at a safe distance and a rigorous handwashing regime. Luckily there were only a few two-man jobs and three or the crew are brothers, so they had already been isolating together.
Simple things like getting tools and supplies was more difficult. Many DIY shops were closed and those open required ordering online ahead of collecting them. So, we couldn’t just head down and peruse what’s on offer in a shop but had to plan more carefully in advance what we would need. All protective gloves were sold out after being donated to the NHS, so we had to improvise.
The real challenge was getting hold of spare parts. Suppliers are closed and once things are sourced delivery times are unpredictable so we had to factor in more redundancy in case any unsurmountable challenges were faced.
Thankfully, it all came together in the end and on schedule but there was much head scratching at times.