British Turntable has helped a local grammar school celebrate the 100th anniversary of its hall by designing, manufacturing and installing a telescopic extension to the stage that will allow the school to extend it by just over four metres when required.

Located below the main stage area when retracted, the manually-operated, polyurethane-wheeled extensions are divided into four separate segments, each of which can be extended in two stages, the first by 2.44 metres and the second by a further 1.83metres.

British Turntable manufactured and supplied the telescopic sections with fire-retardant plywood decks, brakes and locking plates, while the school provided its own apron to complement the hall’s new décor. Each segment can be used individually – to create a catwalk, for example – or in a variety of combinations to cater for major drama or musical productions.

Mrs Lynda Billinge, deputy head at the school explains: “As 2006 marks the 100th anniversary since the foundation stone for the hall was laid we asked the Parents’ Association to raise funds to refurbish the whole hall. The stage, in particular, was much in need of repair, and the proscenium arch – in knotty 60s pine – needed replacing.

“The hall currently caters for the needs of all three sections in the school: kindergarten, juniors and seniors, all of whom have differing requirements. At assembly, when the whole school meets together, we need as much floor space as possible; when the kindergarten does its Christmas show we need a little more stage space, and when the senior school puts on their next full-scale musical production, My Fair Lady, they need a much larger area to perform in.

“The stage already had an extending section, but this had become inadequate for our needs and we were lucky to have British Turntable at hand to help us find a versatile and cost-effective solution.”

The installation demonstrates once again British Turntable’s expertise in providing solutions using movement in all kinds of areas and for a huge range of purposes. With almost 50 years’ experience providing wheeled rotary and linear solutions, recent acquisitions have also provided the company with extensive expertise in air film, liquid and hydraulic movement.