Gas Safety Week runs from 10-16 September, with the gas industry joining forces with consumer organisations to increase gas safety awareness among the general public and encourage people to take good care of their gas appliances. This post looks at the main safety issues addressed by the campaign and gives information about locations of Gas Safety Week events.

Testing your smoke alarm or CO alarm is one of those things you know you should do regularly, yet it is easy for it to slip your mind. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue have come up with a great way to help people keep their smoke alarms in working order.

At this time of year chatter among seasoned wood burning fireplace users turns to firewood, with everybody talking about whether they have enough stockpiled for the winter. If you're new to wood fired heating or planning to get your first open fireplace this year you may not be thinking about your fuel supply yet, but we recommend you start thinking about firewood well before you need it.

Working in the fireplace industry there are certain facts about fireplaces I tend to see as so obvious they don't need to be explained. Every so often someone asks an unexpected question, which of course makes me wonder how many other people are unsure about the same thing. Recently one of our customers asked what a fireplace hearth is for, and I decided to share the answer in case anybody else is wondering.

There's nothing like the ambiance and comfort of a real fire, but decades of reliance on central heating seem to have left some gaps in our understanding of fire safety. I've seen too many news stories lately about house fires which started because ash from an open fire or woodburner wasn't disposed of safely. Many people don't realise how dangerous hot ashes can be, assuming the risk of fire disappears as the flames die down. However, even when it looks as though the fire is dead embers can stay hot enough to start a fire for several days afterwards.

I recently saw the above fire safety video which gives a shocking demonstration of the dangers of a real Christmas tree catching fire. The video shows two living room fires filmed in a laboratory - the rooms are fully furnished but have one open wall to allow filming. The first section shows a fire developing in an everyday living room, and the second shows the spread of a fire from a real Christmas tree. As the video shows, if your Christmas tree catches fire it will very quickly escalate much more rapidly. With that in mind, I decided this would be a good time to go over some essential safety tips for real Christmas trees.

The October issue of 25 Beautiful Homes features the Edinburgh home of Alison and Mark Diamond (p64-67). The Diamonds lovingly renovated a dilapidated top-floor apartment in a Georgian townhouse, creating a successful marriage between their individual tastes for modern and classical design.

As the weather turns colder, people naturally think about warming up in front of a fire. As a result, Autumn and Winter are the busiest time of year in thefireplace industry and the time when our phone lines are under greatest pressure. Try as we might we can't answer all calls right away, so we have been thinking about how to make it easier for you to reach us.

Simple fire surrounds combine understated appeal with the versatility to enhance a huge range of interiors. Some incorporate elements of historic fireplaces while others draw on modern design. This post gives examples of some of the most popular types of simple wooden fireplace surround currently available in the UK.

How do you combine a home with an art gallery? Philip and Maria Arden, whose London townhouse is featured in Homes & Gardens (September issue, p.56-60), have the answer. With the help of interior designer Caroline Shasha they have created a relaxing and liveable backdrop to their modern art collection. A combination of clean lines, a neutral palette and vivid images makes for a peaceful coalition between pop art and practicality. If you are looking for a modern fireplace to achieve a similar effect in your own living room, I have some suggestions for you.