Gas Chat Ireland has once again raised a phenomenal amount of money for charity – this time the Crumlin Medical Research Foundation has benefited from a donation of €10,200.
The group was formed when a couple of registered gas installers got together for an informal chat a couple of years ago. One of the main talking points was the variation in the interpretation of the standards that govern our industry, namely IS813, which covers Irish domestic gas installations.
Also. The differing quality of work carried out by installers whom have all sat the same level of training. Mark Ryan, one of the founders, explained, “Phil Mahady came up with the idea of setting up a Facebook group to allow like-minded individuals to come together and discuss the problems in the industry. It quickly grew, and alongside this came the willingness of industry suppliers and merchants to get involved, offering deals and advice to Gas Chat members.
“We chose Facebook as we needed a simple, easy to use platform for our members to interact in, and also, as we run the group on a voluntary basis, Facebook allows us to do this for free. “We currently have representatives from the majority of the biggest manufacturers, merchants and training centres in the industry involved, many of which offer exclusive deals, and training days to our members.”
All prospective members to the Facebook group are asked a couple of questions, allowing Gas Chat Ireland to ascertain their compatibility with the group – ie if they are a registered gas installer or supplier to the industry. Mark added, “From Gas Chat Ireland, members can then access our other, less publicised group, Gas Installers of Ireland, upon proof of registration. This group deals with the more technical side of our industry, and is a place where registered installers can talk freely and more in depth about the standards.”
These practical aspects of the group have been enhanced with charity fundraising through a now annual Gas Chat Ireland Charity Raffle.
Phil Mahady, another one of the founders, added, “This came about when a generous supplier gave us a gas boiler to give to a deserving recipient. We struggled narrowing down a worthy destination for this amazing gesture, so we decided to raffle it off to one of our members. Other suppliers got involved and, before we knew it, we had thousands of euro worth of prizes to give away. A PayPal account was set up, and in our first year, we sold €4,600 worth of raffle tickets – every cent of which was split between three worthy charities, Crumlin Medical Research Foundation being one.”
The most recent raffle brought in over double the funds, all of which were donated to Crumlin Medical Research Fund.
“This was a no-brainer really, as all our lives have been affected by this amazing place and its people,” said Phil. He added, “The future promises the growth of our group and recognition as an important voice in the industry. With growth, will come better deals from suppliers, and a wide and varied database of knowledge from our vastly experienced members and manufacturer specific technical representatives.”
Mark concluded, “We encourage everyone in the gas/heating industry to get involved and find us on Facebook. Look for ‘Gas Chat Ireland’, answer a couple of questions, and you will then have access to the fastest growing, most progressive group of like-minded professionals in the industry.”
For more information Gas Chat Ireland, search on Facebook or e-mail gaschatireland@gmail.com
