Gutter Clearing at Trent College, Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire
Every October half term in Nottinghamshire, I head over to Trent College in Long Eaton, a place I’ve been maintaining for the last eight years. What started as a one-off gutter clearing job has turned into a bit of an annual tradition. Each year, I spend five days keeping the roofs, gutters, and general maintenance in check at what I can only describe as Nottinghamshire’s version of Hogwarts.
This year, though, I brought the camera along to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what a week at this stunning site looks like.
👉 Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/z6tADcYUA88
The Annual Mission – Gutters, Roofs, and Repairs
My main task each year is simple, clear out the gutters across the sprawling campus. But while I’m up there, I also check the roof conditions, identify potential issues, and fix anything that could turn into a bigger problem later.
It’s the little things that matter, like spotting a loose tile or a small seal that’s starting to fail. As I like to say, a stitch in time saves nine. Catching small problems early keeps the buildings in top shape and saves major headaches down the line.
Hydraulics, Hiccups, and Handy Fixes
It didn’t take long before the first casualty of the week appeared, some pushed-back hydraulic pipes on my cherry picker. Not ideal. When the protective sheath starts to fray, the steel reinforcement beneath can rust and split, leading to messy hydraulic leaks and downtime.
It’s moments like these that remind me why I’m currently on the lookout for a new machine. After years of testing different models, I’ve learned that having hydraulic hoses running through the boom is a weak point. The more hoses you have up there, the more risk of rubbing, leaks, or damage especially when working close to trees.
For future machines, I’m leaning toward setups that use electronic controls or remote systems instead. Fewer pipes, fewer problems.
A Hogwarts-Style Campus with a Roofer’s Eye
Trent College is a joy to work on. The mix of red clay ridges against blue slate tiles looks fantastic, especially against the old stonework. It’s a beautifully maintained site, and every corner has character from its turrets and towers to the distant view of Radcliffe-on-Soar Power Station (best enjoy that view while it lasts!).
Of course, not every day’s glamorous. When you find a slipped tile or a hole in a roof, you do what you can with what you’ve got. Sometimes, that means a quick temporary fix, the sort of “bodge job” that keeps the rain out until proper materials arrive. And yes, even the internet trolls would have to agree, a tidy bodge is better than a gaping hole.
Gutters, Grumbles, and Giant Pine Cones
Some gutters at Trent College are worse than others. There’s one particular building where the internal-bracket design makes clearing them a nightmare. Whoever invented gutters with brackets on the inside clearly never had to clean them. Pine needles collect, debris gets trapped, and your scraper hits every hidden bracket on the way down. Sometimes it’s best to leave a good design alone, wide gutters and external brackets are still the gold standard.
On the plus side, I do get a few unexpected perks on this job, like collecting giant pine cones for the Christmas table. My seven-year-old daughter loves them, and they smell amazing. Little traditions like that make the week feel special.
Mapping the Magic – One Roof at a Time
When I first started working at Trent College, the maintenance manager, James, gave me a map of the entire site. It was a lifesaver back then, but even now, eight years on, I still mark the map each day to show where I’ve been. It’s become a bit of a ritual, a satisfying way to track progress across the school’s labyrinth of rooftops and courtyards.
By the end of the first day, I’d already ticked off some major sections and was gearing up for the rest of the week. There’s talk of testing a new machine on the tighter areas next, so keep your eyes peeled for that in future videos.
To see how the week unfolded, including the repairs, rooftop views, and that pink-triangle paint job (yes, really), check out the full episode on YouTube:
👉 Watch here: https://youtu.be/z6tADcYUA88
Wrapping Up Day One
That’s day one of Trent College done and dusted, gutters cleared, tiles fixed, paint touched up, and pine cones collected. Tomorrow’s forecast looks grim, but that just means a good chance to test out my new waterproof workwear.
There’s something special about coming back here every autumn. It’s part routine, part nostalgia and part Hogwarts adventure from a cherry picker’s point of view.
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My workwear is sponsored by Granite Workwear, and all of the clothing I’m wearing in the video can be purchased on their website: https://www.graniteworkwear.com/
