Bishop blesses spring making factory that rose from the ashes
1 min read
A new purpose-built £3.5m spring manufacturing factory that has risen from the ashes of the Airedale Springs plant that burned down in 2010 has been opened by the Bishop of Bradford (left).
The Bishop, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, blessed the aptly named 'The Spring Works' in Haworth, West Yorkshire; a ceremony that was witnessed by the company's 33-strong workforce and guests including competitor firms that helped Airedale Springs following the fire, when the firm operated from temporary premises and outsourced work to other spring-makers.
Thanking them for their "support during our darkest times", chairman Tim Parkinson (centre) said that " never in the field of company misfortune was so much owed too so many by so few."
The new 18,000sq ft premises is now home to traditional and modern spring-making and wire-forming methods and incorporates environmentally-friendly features such as solar panels and low-energy lighting, purpose-designed to meet new European energy efficiency guidelines.
The family business was established in 1945 by Gordon Parkinson, and is now run by his grandsons, Tim and Sean Parkinson (right), who is commercial director.
