K2 Specialist Services have worked closely with Jenners Department Store Edinburgh over the past few years carrying out a varying degree of repair from redecoration of the façade to more complex dormer lead replacement.

We where approached in June 2007 by the Deputy Operations Manager Bryan Hickman who posed the question of erecting a real Christmas tree in the store and if we could assist in any way.

Having spent the following months up to November developing our Method Statements and Risk Assessments we took charge of the trees arrival from the Duke of Buccleuch's Borders Estate on 2 nd November at around 6.30pm after the store closed.

The task ahead turned into a small military operation with the entire team from K2 out in force, from the directors to yard manager. Having not tackled a job of this nature before we had more than one moment to stop and assess the way forward.

In the end it was sheer brute force that saw the tree being lifted from the back of the truck and hoisted onto our shoulders and trooped into the stores Grand Hall.

From our Rope Technicians Division Gene Clark and Chris Surlit began the task of setting up ropes from the main beam of the Grand Hall and a 1tonne chain pulley was rigged into the middle.

The tree was hoisted into position and guyed to the balcony's kneel posts. The rope guys then spent a mere 6 hours dressing the tree with 9000 fairy lights under the expert eye of the stores visual manager Ian Kirby.

It was with great delight that prize winners from the Sick Kids Friends Foundation switched the lights on on Sunday morning. We all sensed a great feeling of both relief and achievement at the completion of the job and the knowledge that “yes, we put the tree up at Jenners”!