TV coverage of many of the events in the recent Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, including the opening and closing ceremonies' light shows and firework displays, owed much to the access equipment rented from Nationwide. Barlow Handling, a long time customer of Nationwide, hired a number of access platforms for its client, Jack Morton Worldwide, which devised and produced the special-effect events that were seen by millions.

Six Nationwide machines were used to install sound and lighting rigging and equipment at the new 38,000-capacity City of Manchester Stadium. These were four of the company's Genie S-125 self-propelled access platforms, a 110 HX boom and a 440X truck-mounted unit from Nationwide's Skylift fleet. Three Nationwide depots were involved in the project - Manchester, Leeds and London East - to ensure that the most appropriate equipment was on site, on time.

Barloworld, the largest independent distributor of lift trucks in the world, opted for the 39.9-metre working height S-125 for several reasons. These included an unrivalled 24.4-metre outreach capability and generous basket size, coupled with the S-125's superb manoeuvrability and versatility. The 44-metre working height 440X came into its own when that extra few metres of height was required. It also proved its worth - being truck-mounted - by being able to be moved around the site at a moment's notice.

According to Nationwide's Scott McCall, the package the company supplied meant that Jack Morton Worldwide's team could reach every conceivable vantage point in and around the stadium. He says: The machines we recommended for the project gave Jack Morton all of the essential height and reach configurations. More than that, they provided the versatility that prestigious, time-sensitive jobs such as the Commonwealth Games demand."

He continues: "Availability was, of course, of overriding importance. Both Barloworld and Jack Morton knew that Nationwide's fleet is twice the size of the next largest in the UK and, with its depot network and experience providing access solutions for major events and spectaculars, that the company had the proven ability to perform."

Nationwide is part of the publicly-quoted Lavendon Group Plc and is headquartered in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The Group is European market leader in the powered access rental market, trading under the name Zooom in Germany, France, Spain and Austria. Full details on the Nationwide offering of booms, scissor lifts and truck-mounted units can be found at www.nationwideaccess.com

END

August 2002 Nat2.054a