Company scoops top industry award

A1 Flue Systems scooped the top prize at the Heating and Ventilating Review Awards at the London’s Gloucester Hotel.

It is the first time the company, which designs, manufactures and installs commercial and industrial chimney, flue and exhaust systems has entered for such a prestigious award but the team was quietly confident.

A1 has recently completed work on high-profile projects such as The Shard and the Leadenhall Building, known as the Cheesegrater, in London.

Director TJ Moir said being crowned Contractor of the Year was a huge accolade and she hoped it would boost business.

“This is our first significant industry award and we can’t express how thrilled we are to win it because of what it will mean to our business moving forward,” she said.

“We felt we stood a chance of winning as we have a great story to tell about how a company from Ollerton has won projects on merit to install flue and chimney systems into the UK’s most prestigious projects.

“But we think it was not just the fact we had won the contracts that impressed the judges but the level of design capabilities, the quality of our products and the skills of our engineers.”

The award caps what has been a fantastic year for the family-run firm, which was restructured a little over 12 months ago to allow founder Colin Moir’s daughter TJ and fellow director John Hamnett to take the helm.

John Hamnett said the 130-strong workforce should take the plaudits as they were the ones who have been instrumental in getting the company to this position.

“Awards on this scale put into perspective just how far our business has come – even in the last few months,” he said.

“We have a brilliant team of local people and it is down to them that we have achieved this recognition.” For more information about A1 Flue Systems visit www.a1flues.co.uk.