10 Questions that all who are concerned about Thatch roofs & Thatching should be addressing

  1. Are enough young people coming into the trade and staying?
  2. Is enough being done to encourage new build thatch?
  3. Is there too much emphasis on listed and historical thatch?
  4. Should more be done to alert thatch owners to the problem of chimney related fires and what role should Thatchers play in this?
  5. Should there be more collective co-operation and discussion between Thatchers?
  6. Is there enough monitoring of standards in thatching and work practices?
  7. Is it realistic to expect Thatchers to work until they are 65 or longer before they can take a state pension?
  8. Is enough being done to look into why some thatch roofs prematurely wear?
  9. Should the policy of overhanging trees with TPO’s on them and birds which can damage thatch be looked into and present guidelines changed or made more flexible so thatch owners are not disadvantaged?
  10. Is enough being done to market thatch?