Dave Wooffindin reports on his old friend
Lashman set up a training college in Bradford with funding from the Coal Board and local government. After a short while, a training centre was set up further south, again funded by the then Coal Board.
I first met him at a Guild meeting in 1994 held at Bil Wight’s house in Cambrigeshire. He had made the best curry ever at home and brought it to the meeting. A good night with a drink or two followed. I had been invited there by another sweep, my uncle, Les Mitchell. These three and a few others wanted a qualification for the industry. They had argued for a qualification for their association, the National Association. This was not popular at that time so being in a minority they left the association they had helped create in 1984.
So, the Guild of Master Sweeps was born in 1993. Lashman along with four others was a founder member of the Guild and they each put money in the pot to get things going. He passed his City & Guilds exam with Bil Wight who had written the course and at the time was the only assessor. The core of this assessment is still used in the Guild today, although it has greatly evolved having been brought into the 21st century through continuous improvement and more recently to mapping it to the National Occupational Standards for chimney sweeps.
Lashman saw a need for special tools required for cleaning precast flue blocks. He was always looking for new ideas. He developed chisel tools to clear class 2 precast flues of mortar build up. He moved away from sweeping form a while, he saw a need where he could help in the community. In his home city he saw how lots of families were struggling to make ends meet so in the evenings he would help them out. He set up the Bradford curry project 33 years ago as a charity to help the less fortunate, all the while he was running a sweeping/ maintenance business, albeit part time.
I met up with him on many occasions over the next two decades, installing wood burners, patio cleaning at my home etc. He had a good patio cleaning business for some years.
Lashman was always full of ideas, like new type of sweeps sheets for specific applications. We got our heads together to develop some new soot sheets and soon found out what sweeps wanted I helped him to set up the Sweepmate chimney sheet company, and we spent many days trying out different sheets. Perhaps you’ve seen him at a trade show?
A few years ago, Lashman was made a lifetime member of the Guild for his services to the industry. He has recently been taken ill so has now sold up.
I and everyone at the Guild would like to thank him for his past work. The Guild and it’s members build on what came before, all helped made possible by people like Lashman.
