Danny Madden: ‘I always think of slate as the Bentley of roof coverings’

Danny Madden recently won ‘Roofer of the Year’ at Fix Radio’s 2022 awards, of which the roofing category was sponsored by CUPA PIZARRAS. It was not long before the fantastic news was shared on social media, where he has built a strong community of following showcasing his work. “The future of the industry worries me greatly”, states Danny, “as there are not enough apprentices. Schools need to play a bigger part in pushing this”, he stresses.

CUPA PIZARRAS – You won the ‘Roofer of the Year’ award. What does it mean for you and your company?

Danny Madden – To win Roofer of the year was incredible and I feel extremely proud in my achievement from winning apprentice of the year at college to now roofer of the year shows that if your dedicated to your trade and you enjoy your work you can achieve great things.

Danny Madden receives the ‘Roofer of the Year’ award from Clive Holland, host of the ceremony

CP – Do you think is important for the industry this kind of initiatives and awards like the Tradesperson of the Year?

DM – I think it’s extremely important to commend trades people on their work. There’s nothing better than being able to showcase your work that you spent years perfecting your craft and then be commended for it is incredible. It’s also a great way to show people that are thinking of going into the trade what can be achieved.

CP – You create original content for social media. How can the social media help the construction industry? What has been your experience so far?

DM – Social media does get a lot of bad press but in my experience it’s few and far between. I’ve built a community of likeminded trades and trades that have now become good friends. It’s a chance to show not only other trades but potential clients what you can do. I strongly believe social media is the way forward especially for winning jobs.

CP – What are your thoughts on the future of the industry? Are the new generations ready to pick up the slack?

DM – The future of the industry worries me greatly. We are not seeing nee trades coming through and there is a shortage. Schools need to play a bigger part in pushing apprenticeships to youngsters that are not necessarily interested in the university route. It’s important to show them that you can make a good living, earning and learning instead of coming out of university with huge debt. I’m all for higher education and university but some of us are built different and an apprenticeship would suit us far better.

CP – What’s your favorite part of working in a new roofing project?

DM – My favourite part of a new roofing project is after it’s been stripped, it’s like you’ve got a clean canvas to work on, from the felt rough the battens to laying the Slates or tiles, it really is very satisfying to them stand back and look at something you’ve created and improved for years to come.

Hannah Wall, UK Marketing Manager at CUPA PIZARRAS, was present at the event and had the opportunity to meet Danny Madden

CP – What makes slating so special when compared to other roofing tasks?

DM – Slating has to be my favourite materiel to work with. There’s just something about working with natural state and the finish you get with it I always think of slate as the Bentley of roof covering. It looks so smart.