IPAF PAL Card
MEWP operatorDo the theory by eLearning in your own time, then a half-day practical on our machines in Ipswich. You leave with an IPAF PAL card and certificate.
Powered access & hoist hireEast Anglia Sky-high standards. Down-to-earth service.
Cherry pickers, scissor lifts, spider lifts and Geda hoists for hire. Every machine is specified on a free site survey, delivered on our own trucks and kept running by our own engineers. We've been family-run in Ipswich since 1987.
- Free, no-obligation site surveys
- Short-term, long-term & permanent hire
- IPAF-accredited training in-house
What's the job?
Pick one and we'll point you the right way.
Machines from the names you trust
- Genie
- Skyjack
- Niftylift
- Hinowa
- Geda
- Maber
IPAF-accredited training centre
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1987
Family-run since
Founded by John Woodhouse. Still run by the Woodhouse family.
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25m+
Working height
From 7.6m battery scissors to 25m+ diesel booms.
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£0
Site surveys
Always free. Never any obligation.
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2nd
Longest-serving IPAF trainer in the UK
Steve Eichberger heads up our training.
The fleet
The right machine for every height, site and budget.
Powered access platforms from Genie, Skyjack, Niftylift and Hinowa, and hoists from Geda and Maber. Every machine is serviced in our own workshop and available for short-term, long-term or permanent hire at competitive rates.
Not sure? Try the 3-tap machine matcher
Cherry pickers
Boom lifts
Up, out and over. Articulated booms reach over obstacles and out to façades, roofs and steelwork. Choose battery, bi-fuel or diesel for indoor, outdoor and rough-terrain work.
- Building maintenance
- Roofing & guttering
- Glazing & cladding
- Signage
- Steel erection
- Niftylift HR12NBi-fuelGet a price
- Niftylift HR15NBi-fuelGet a price
- Skyjack SJ30 ARJEBatteryGet a price
- Genie Z-45/25Bi-fuelGet a price
- Genie Z-45/25DieselGet a price
- Skyjack SJ60 AJ+DieselGet a price
- Genie Z-80/60DieselGet a price
Scissor lifts
Scissor lifts
Straight up, with room to work. Quiet, zero-emission battery scissors suit fit-outs and warehouses. Rough-terrain diesels bring big decks and grip to site.
- Interior fit-outs
- Ceilings & M&E
- Warehouses
- Cladding
- Rough-terrain sites
- Skyjack 32/19BatteryGet a price
- Skyjack 32/26BatteryGet a price
- Skyjack 46/26BatteryGet a price
- Skyjack 46/32BatteryGet a price
- Skyjack 68/32JDieselGet a price
- Skyjack 88/41JDieselGet a price
- Skyjack 92/53JDieselGet a price
Tracked booms
Spider lifts
Light footprint, serious reach. Hinowa tracked spider lifts get through tight access, tread lightly on lawns and floors, and set up on outriggers on uneven ground.
- Tree surgery
- Churches & heritage
- Atriums
- Gardens & soft ground
- Hinowa 15.70TrackedGet a price
- Hinowa 20.10TrackedGet a price
Towable
Trailer-mounted booms
Reach you can tow. The Niftylift 170 sets up quickly on its outriggers. It's ideal for maintenance teams moving between short jobs.
- Estates & facilities
- Gutters & fascias
- Signage
- Short jobs, many sites
- Niftylift 170TrailerGet a price
Sky High Hoists
Hoists
Goods, transport and ladder hoists from Geda and Maber, with tailor-made hire packages for scaffolding jobs of every size. We install them, alter them as your job changes, and keep them maintained.
- Scaffolding contractors
- House builders
- Roofers
- Refurbishment
- Geda 300ZGoodsGet a price
- Geda 500ZGoodsGet a price
- Geda 500ZZPGoods & transportGet a price
- Geda 1500ZZPGoods & transportGet a price
- Maber MBC 2000TransportGet a price
- Geda 200Inclined ladderGet a price
Hoist Manager Wayne Middlemas has been with us since 2012. Tell him about your site, operation and budget and he'll match the hoist to the job.
Machine matcher
Not sure what you need? Three taps to the right machine.
Answer three quick questions and we'll suggest machines from our fleet. Then we'll confirm the choice on a free site survey, so you never pay for the wrong kit.
- Instant suggestion, no email needed
- Your answers go straight into your quote request
- Checked by a real person before anything is booked
Question 1 of 3
How hire works
From first call to final lift, it's one team.
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01
Tell us about the job
Call 01473 834100 or send an enquiry. You'll speak to someone who knows the machines inside out.
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02
Free site survey
We visit, check access, ground conditions and reach, and recommend the right machine first time. There's no obligation.
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03
Delivered & installed
Our own trucks deliver across East Anglia and the South. Our team installs the equipment, so you're ready to start.
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04
Looked after on hire
Maintenance on an agreed schedule, alterations if the job changes, and a breakdown line that gets answered.
Why Sky High Access
Big-fleet kit. Family-firm care.
We're not a national chain with a call centre. We're a family business that has spent nearly four decades earning the trust of contractors across East Anglia, one job at a time.
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Family-run since 1987
Founded by John Woodhouse and still run by the Woodhouse family, alongside people who've been with us for 10, 20 and 25 years.
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Right machine, first time
Free site surveys mean the machine that turns up is the one the job needs. No wasted deliveries and no stalled sites.
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Our trucks, our timings
Machines travel on our own liveried trucks, so we stay in control of your delivery from our yard to your site.
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In-house workshop
Every machine is maintained by our own workshop team, led by Liam McErleane, who has been with us since 2000.
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Training under one roof
IPAF PAL card and harness courses at our Ipswich centre, so your operators are qualified for the kit you hire.
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A familiar voice
Call and you'll speak to the people who run the business. Small team, long memories, no call centre.
IPAF-accredited training centre
Access Training East Anglia
Get qualified with the UK's second longest-serving IPAF trainer.
Our IPAF-accredited training centre in Ipswich runs courses covering MEWP operation and working at height. They're taught by Head of Training Steve Eichberger, who has more than 30 years in powered access.
Harness Awareness (HA)
Managers & supervisorsFor managers, planners, supervisors and safety professionals who don't wear a harness themselves. The theory and test are done by eLearning.
Harness User (HU)
MEWP operatorsFor operators who wear a harness. Complete HA first, then a practical assessment, which can be combined with your operator course.
Every course includes registration, tuition, a hard copy of your card and certificate, and refreshments throughout the day.
Maintenance & breakdown
Kept running, from delivery to collection.
Every hire comes with a maintenance schedule agreed up front, so your equipment is always looked after. If something goes wrong, pick up the phone. We aim to respond immediately and get one of our trained service engineers to your site as soon as possible.
- Installation by our own team
- Scheduled maintenance for the whole hire
- Alterations if your requirements change
- A reliable breakdown service
Meet the team
The people you'll actually speak to.
In 1987, John Woodhouse started Sky High Access to provide essential equipment for people working at height. Today, Woodhouse family members work alongside people who've become part of the family, many of them for more than a decade.
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Since 2007
Alex Woodhouse
Sales Director
Knows the powered access fleet inside out and helps you choose the right machine.
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Since 2017
Gemma Richards
Finance Director
A Geda hoist specialist who keeps the day-to-day running smoothly.
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Since 2015
Steve Eichberger
Head of Training
Over 30 years in powered access. He's the UK's second longest-serving IPAF trainer.
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Since 2012
Wayne Middlemas
Hoist Manager
Finds the right hoist for your site, operation and budget.
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Since 2000
Liam McErleane
Workshop Manager
Runs the workshops and coordinates maintenance and breakdowns.
Where we work
Based in Claydon. Working across East Anglia and the South.
Our yard and training centre are at Claydon Industrial Park, just outside Ipswich. From there our trucks cover Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, and we hire throughout Southern England.
- Ipswich
- Felixstowe
- Woodbridge
- Stowmarket
- Bury St Edmunds
- Sudbury
- Colchester
- Chelmsford
- Cambridge
- Newmarket
- Norwich
- Lowestoft
- Great Yarmouth
- Thetford
- Harwich
- Southwold
Sky High Access Ltd
Unit 21, Claydon Industrial Park
Ipswich IP6 0NL
FAQs
Questions, answered.
Can't see yours? Call the team on 01473 834100 or email hello@skyhighaccess.co.uk.
Do I need an IPAF PAL card to operate a cherry picker or scissor lift?
The IPAF PAL card is the most widely recognised proof that an operator has been trained on a category of MEWP, and most sites and principal contractors will expect to see one. We run IPAF PAL card courses at our Ipswich training centre, so we can get your team qualified for the machines you hire.
Is the site survey really free?
Yes. It's free and there's no obligation. One of our team visits your site, looks at the access, the ground conditions and the work itself, and recommends the right machine, so you don't pay for the wrong one.
How long can I hire for?
As long as you need. All of our machines are available for short-term, long-term and permanent hire at competitive rates.
What's included when I hire?
Expert advice, delivery on our own trucks, installation where it's needed, a maintenance schedule agreed with your hire package, alterations if your requirements change, and our breakdown service. We'll confirm everything in your quote.
What happens if a machine breaks down?
Call us on 01473 834100. We aim to respond immediately and will send one of our trained service engineers to your site as soon as possible to put it right.
Do you hire hoists for scaffolding?
Yes. Our Geda and Maber goods, transport and ladder hoists suit all kinds of scaffolding jobs. We put together tailor-made hire packages, install the hoist, and make alterations as your job changes.
Which areas do you cover?
We're based at Claydon Industrial Park, just outside Ipswich. We work right across East Anglia, including Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, and hire throughout Southern England.
Can I buy a machine instead of hiring?
Yes. If you're interested in buying access equipment, get in touch and we'll talk you through the options.
Get a quote
Tell us about the job. We'll take it from there.
Send a few details and one of the team will call you back to talk it through. Not sure what you need? Choose “Free site survey” and we'll come and take a look.
Thanks. We've got it.
One of the team will call you back shortly to talk through the job. If it's urgent, call us now on 01473 834100.
- 1We call you back to talk through the job.
- 2If it helps, we book your free site survey.
- 3You get a clear quote, with no obligation.
- Call01473 834100
- Emailhello@skyhighaccess.co.uk
- VisitUnit 21, Claydon Industrial Park, Ipswich IP6 0NL