A huge congratulations to Tom Elliot from our m-tec division who has completed 25 years at WEC Group!

Tom is one of our longest standing employees and we would like to thank him for his continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over those years.

During Tom's time at WEC, he has played an integral part in our success and growth by remaining a loyal and diligent staff member.

Congratulations and all the best Tom!

Congratulations to Liston Voster who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for August and £100!

A huge well done Liston and keep up the great work!

We would like to wish Leah Rapson from our Credit Control Department a very Happy 30th Birthday for Sunday!

We hope you have a lovely weekend celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Lindsay Hodgson to WEC Group.

Lindsay has joined us as a Receptionist.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

Today we are saying a farewell to one of our longest serving members of staff Dennis, who is retiring after 27 years at WEC Group!

We would like to say a huge thank you to Dennis for all of the hard work and commitment towards the company throughout those years. Everyone at WEC Group will be exceptionally sad to see you go.

Absolute stalwart of the division said John Whittle, CCTV’s General Manager. We wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement

Enjoy your retirement Dennis, you deserve it!

We recently sent an email survey out to all staff asking what potential charity events and activities they would like to see at WEC Group.

A big majority of the staff answered that they would like to see more Dress Down Days, so we have come up with an exciting new fundraising idea whereby we are giving the opportunity to all office staff to make a one-time £20 charity donation to Bleakholt which would allow them to dress down on every Friday for the rest of the year!

You do not have to take part if you do not wish to do so, in which case you will have to continue to wear your standard work attire. For those who wish to participate, we kindly ask that you make an upfront £20 donation via our Just Giving page, with your name visible as proof of participation. Alternatively, cash can be brought to the Marketing office.

This will start from Friday 23rd August.

To learn more about Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary and the work they do visit their facebook page.

Thank you for your support!

We would like to welcome Stuart Hilton (top) and Kaspars Apsolons (bottom) to WEC Group.

Stuart is joining us as our new Maintenance Electrician and Kaspars is joining us as our new Maintenance Engineer.

We are sure you will provide them both with a warm welcome!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Aaron Hunt who has been promoted to the position of General Manager at our Special Projects division.

Congratulations Aaron, very well deserved!

Just a quick reminder that we will be hosting numerous bake sales across our sites to raise money for our Charity of the Year Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary.

The dates and locations have been confirmed:

• HTA Bake Sale: Today (August 15th)
• Special Projects Bake Sale: Tomorrow (August 16th - in the entrance area)
• Engineering Bake Sale: Tomorrow (August 16th - in the reception area)
• Laser Bake Sale: Thursday August 22nd (in the Laser Admin office)

There has been some structural changes within the Group QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety & Environmental) department.

Callum Walker has changed role from Group Quality Manager to Project Manager within Special Projects.

Gino Winstanley is newly recruited and is now the Group Quality Manager.

Please contact Gino Winstanley for any Group Quality requests.

Please contact Mark Horton for any Group Health, Safety or Environmental requests.

DG-QSHE is the departments email address.

Welcoming Laser Profiles to our Growing Business!
Published 08/08/2024

We are really excited to announce that WEC Group has recently acquired Dorset-based company Laser Profiles Ltd.

The addition of Laser Profiles to the WEC Group represents another important milestone in our ongoing expansion plans, and as our first manufacturing site in the South of the UK, it will open the door to further growth as we gain access to new target markets.

This acquisition is part of WEC Group’s long-term growth strategy to extend its reach across all corners of the UK and reinforce their market leading position in the contract manufacturing sector.

The new partnership is designed to combine the strengths of both companies, optimising production capabilities and enchancing service offerings to clients across various industries.

The addition of Laser Profiles to our family of businesses is a logical move for both companies and we are excited to start working together to achieve the benefits this acquisition is set to bring.

Please click here to read the full press release.

To visit Laser Profiles new website, please click here

We would like to welcome Gino Winstanley to WEC Group.

Gino is WEC Group's new Group Quality Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

WEC Group will be hosting a bake sale on Friday 16th August across our sites to raise money for our Charity of the Year Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary.

Each building/division is welcome to take part and organise their own cake stand. Cakes can be homemade or shop bought.

Please let the Marketing team know who will be responsible for their bake sale in each building and what time you're planning to host your event by August 9th.

To learn more about Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary and the work they do visit their facebook page.

If you would like to make a donation, please feel free to visit our Just Giving page.

Flyers to promote the event can be downloaded here.

Congratulations to Jamie Heys who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for July and £100!

A huge well done Jamie and keep up the great work!

We would like to welcome Connor Gordon to WEC Group.

Connor has joined our Engineering division as a Trainee Estimator/Sales Administrator.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to say a big well done to MTL's Finance Manager Keith, who took part in the Peak District Ultra Challenge on July 6th 2024.

Keith continously walked for 100km on a tough and varied figure of 8 route through Derbyshire, completing the challenge in 22 hours!

A big thank you to everyone who has already donated, if you would like to contribute and make a donation then you can still do so here

A huge well done to you Keith!

Congratulations to Kian Brocken who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for June and £100!

A huge well done Kian and keep up the great work!

We would like to wish our cleaner Tracey Callaghan, a very happy 60th birthday!

We hope you have a lovely day and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

Blackburn Youth Zone will be hosting a Family Fun Day to celebrate National Festival of Making.

The event is free to all and offers Junk Mini Golf, Pendulum Painting, Planetarium, Live Street Art Displays and much more.

The event will take place on Saturday 6th July 2024, 11am – 4pm at Blackburn Youth Zone, Jubilee St, Blackburn BB1 1EP.

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Craig Emery and Tom Jarrold from our CCTV division for completing the Bolton Ironman last weekend!

A massive well done to you both!

We would like to welcome Liam Davies to WEC Group.

Liam has joined Laser Engineering as a Sales Administrator.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Jaroslaw Besterci who has been promoted to Maintenance Manager at WEC Group.

Congratulations Jaroslaw, very well deserved.

We would like to welcome Florin Tanovici to WEC Group.

Florin has joined WEC Group as a Maintenance Electrician.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to share that MTL's Finance Manager Keith, will be fundraising for Rotherham Hospice. Taking part in the Peak District Ultra Challenge on July 6th 2024.

Keith will continuously walk for 100km on a tough and varied figure of 8 route through Derbyshire’s finest scenery, starting on Saturday morning and finishing some time on Sunday!

If you would like to contribute and make a donation towards this amazing charity, then you can do so here

Best of luck to you Keith!

We would like to wish Glenda Carswell a very happy retirement for today.

We would like to say a big thank you to Glenda for her hard work and commitment to the company over the past 21 years and wish her a long, happy and healthy retirement. It's been a pleasure to work alongside Glenda in the Laser team!

Enjoy your retirement Glenda, you deserve it!

We would like to share that Danny, one of our Fabrication Apprentices at MTL will be fundraising for Rotherham Hospice.

Danny will be taking part in the hospice's Midnight Memory 10K Walk on June 22nd 2024 and will be raising money in memory of his late father Iain, who sadly passed away 10 years ago.

If you would like to contribute and make a donation towards this amazing charity, then you can do so here

Best of luck to you Danny!

Congratulations to Oliver Kershaw who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for May and £100!

A huge well done Oliver and keep up the great work!

We would like to welcome Leah Rapson to WEC Group.

Leah has joined WEC Group as a Credit Control Assistant.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

There has been some internal restructure for our WEC Large Machining Division.

Please be advised that from Tuesday 28th May 2024, the large machining centres located at our Spring Vale road site will now fall under the umbrella of our WEC Machining division in Blackburn.

For any large machining production queries please contact Karen Britland

For sales and quotations please contact Derek Pollard

For all other issues or queries please contact Steve Fitzpatrick

We would like to welcome Mike Lomas to WEC Group.

Mike has joined WEC Group as a Recruitment Officer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Debbie Gordon to WEC Group.

Debbie has joined WEC Group as a Receptionist/Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

As Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 begins, we would like to show our support and share a reminder that it is okay to not be okay.

Our free confidential counselling helpline is available for everyone – 0800 107 6585 quote scheme 72740.

All employees also have access to the app ‘My Healthy Advantage’ should you need it. The app reference code for the app is MHA169154.

WEC Group HR Manager Gemma Kennedy, MTL Advanced HR Manager Naomi Coates and MTL Advanced Quality Manager Lisa Sancho are all recognised Mental Health First Aiders, who can be contacted by any of our staff, should you need to talk to someone.

Please visit your GP or Doctor if you are struggling to cope with any Mental Health issues.

The theme for this year’s MHAW is Movement and the benefits of moving more for our mental health.

One of the most important things you can do to protect your mental health is regular movement, including taking breaks from sitting, setting small achievable goals and moving in nature. Any small changes to get moving can make a real positive difference to our mental health.

Free advice and help are available on the Mental Health Foundation website.

Please don’t hesitate to speak to someone about your worries and concerns. There is always help available for those who are struggling – Just ask.

Congratulations to Oliver Kershaw who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for May and £100!

A huge well done Oliver and keep up the great work!

We would like to wish Yvonne Isherwood a very happy retirement for tomorrow.

We would like to say a big thank you to Yvonne for her hard work and commitment to the company over the past 11 years and wish her a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Enjoy your retirement Yvonne, you deserve it!

Colleagues from WEC Laser will be taking part in this years Ribble Valley Pub Walk on Saturday 22nd June 2024 to raise money for East Lancashire Hospice.

During the walk you will take in the beautiful views of the Ribble Valley, stopping off at supporting pubs along the route. Dogs are allowed on the walk but must be kept on a lead at all times. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Ribble Valley Pub Walk.

The route is yet to be confirmed but if you would like to register, please visit the website.

WEC Group receptionist, Karen, and shop floor supervisor, Danny, held a charity dog ‘chase and attack’ event in Tockholes on Saturday.

Colleagues paid to guess how far Danny could run from a marker, wearing a padded sleeve, before being bitten by Deimos, a 5-year-old Dutch Herder/German Shepherd cross, sent by Karen.

Danny managed a very respectable 23 metres before Deimos caught him, and a grand total of £550.00 has been raised for Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, WEC’s charity of the year.

Danny Vs Deimos Video

Well done Danny, for being a good sport, and Deimos for catching him!

We would like to wish Paul Banister from IT, a very Happy 50th Birthday for Monday!

We hope you have a great weekend celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Nathen Barnes to WEC Group.

Nathen has joined WEC Machining as a Business Development Executive.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Natalie Clark from HTA has completed March the Month and taken 11,000 steps a day for the whole of March, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Natalie has raised £600 so far for Prostate Cancer UK!

If you would like to contribute and make a donation towards this amazing charity, then you can do so here

Well done Natalie!

We would like to welcome David Porter (top) and Thomas Stanley (bottom) to WEC Group.

David is joining us as our new Electrical Maintenance Engineer and Thomas is joining us as our new Mechanical Maintenance Engineer.

We are sure you will provide them both with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Robbie Apter to WEC Group.

Robbie has joined Laser Engineering as a Trainee CAD Programmer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Natalie Clark from HTA is taking part in March the Month, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK and will be doing 11,000 steps a day for the whole of March.

If you would like to contribute and make a donation towards this amazing charity, then you can do so here

Best of luck Natalie!

Congratulations to Scott Macintosh who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for February and £100!

A huge well done Scott and keep up the great work!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Karen Britland who has been promoted to Production Manager at WEC Machining.

Congratulations Karen, very well deserved.

We are delighted to announce that WEC Group will be supporting Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary as our chosen Charity of the Year 2024.

Bleakholt is an animal sanctuary based in Ramsbottom, dedicated to giving animals a second chance, whether they are traditional pets or farm animals that find refuge at the sanctuary.

As always, we will hold multiple fundraising events throughout the year to support the cause, including our annual corporate golf day and staff events such as raffles, bake sales and dress down days.

If you are taking part in any fundraising events throughout the year or if you have any fundraising ideas, please feel free to contact the Marketing Team to help with setting up a campaign/promotion.

Congratulations to Jamie Heys who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for January and £100!

A huge well done Jamie and keep up the great work!

We would like to welcome Callum Walker to WEC Group.

Callum has joined WEC Group as our new Quality Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish Louise Bennett from MTL Advanced, a very Happy 30th Birthday for Sunday!

We hope you have a lovely weekend celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to wish Karl (Nash) Parrington, a very Happy Belated 60th Birthday for Saturday!

We hope you had a lovely day celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Tom Allee to WEC Group.

Tom has joined HTA Group as a Trainee Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Narcis Ciubotaru to WEC Group.

Narcis has joined HTA Group as a Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish our HR Manager Gemma Kennedy, a very Happy 40th Birthday!!

We hope you have a lovely day and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to congratulate Tom Woodburn who was crowned Welder of the Year 2023 for our Engineering division.

Tom won the Welding Excellence Award numerous times last year.

Thank you for all your hard work in Engineering.

Well Done!

Congratulations to Lee Calvert who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for December and £100!

A huge well done Lee and keep up the great work!

We held our annual Christmas Tree Competition this week. The votes have been counted and the winning division is... MTL ADVANCED!

The votes are as follows -

MTL Advanced - 78
Zen Reception - 14
5750 - 8
Springvale / Engineering - 7
WEC Machining - 6
WEC Laser - 4
Special Projects - 2
WEC Academy - 1


MTL Advanced will receive a £50 donation to go towards a charity of their choice.

Thank you to everyone who got involved and voted!

We will be holding our annual Christmas Tree Competition this week across all of our divisions.

The winner will receive a £50 donation, which will be given to a charity of their choice. Please take a look at all of the entries below and send your vote to Marketing by 4pm on Thursday 21st December.

Christmas Tree 2023 Entries

Good luck everyone!

A quick reminder that Friday 22nd December will be a dress down day for all staff.

Charity donations for our Charity of the Year Blackburn & Darwen Youth Zone are welcomed but not mandatory. If you wish to donate, please visit our Just Giving page.

We would like to congratulate MTL Apprentice Ellie Foster, on completing her Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship with a Distinction in all areas.

Amazing results Ellie, very well deserved.

Well done from all the team at WEC!

On Thursday 30th November, we held our Annual Apprentice of the Year Awards ceremony at our newly built Engineering Academy in Blackburn!

We welcomed over 100 guests including Sir Jake Berry, Member of Parliament for Rossendale and Darwen, to help celebrate our apprentices success over the past 12 months.

The evening was held to celebrate achievements and hard work of our apprentices with various awards presented for Business Innovation, Welding Excellence, Academic Achievement and Machining Excellence, to name but a few.

A massive congratulations to first year Welding & Fabrication Apprentice Oliver who was crowned as WEC Group Apprentice of the Year 2023!

Award Winners:

- Apprentice of the Year - Oliver Kershaw
- Rising Star Award - Owen Croft

- Business Innovation Award - Leah Fitzpatrick
- Commitment Award - Connor Billington-Calvert
- Academic Ahievement Award - Ventsislav Angelov
- Machining Excellence Award - Brad Whittle

A huge congratulations to all apprentices and to everyone who got invloved!

Visit our flickr page to see all the pictures from the event.

Congratulations to Mathew Walsh who has been named as our Welder of the Month for November for our Special Projects & Laser Fab divisions, and has won himself £100!

Keep up the great work Mathew, well done!

We would like to welcome Marie Taylor to WEC Group.

Marie has joined WEC Group as a Web Designer.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Danny Charlton who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for November and £100!

A huge well done Danny and keep up the great work!

We will be taking part in the Annual Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for our charity of the year Blackburn & Darwen Youthzone on Friday 8th December and we would love for you to get involved!

We ask that you kindly donate £1-£2 in exchange for wearing a Christmas Jumper or Dressing down. All donations are greatly appreciated and will go towards help young individuals in the local area.

The Youthzone aims to ensure local young people can have fun, learn, develop and reach their potential, regardless of their background.

HTA will be taking part in Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Please don't forget to send any pictures to the Marketing Team!

Our architectural division sales manager Tom Elliot was at 10 Downing Street this week to finalise a large order that has been in the pipeline for several years.!

Exciting times ahead for our M-TEC division!

To see the amazing sculptures our skilled engineers have crafted over the years, please visit our M-TEC website.

We would like to wish Ryan Hindle from our WEC Laser division a very Happy 30th Birthday!!

We hope you have a great day and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

Marion Crompton from our Laser Division and her sidekick Micky are taking part in the 100k November Dog Walk in support of Bone Cancer Research Trust.

The Bone Cancer Research Trust is the leading charity dedicated to fighting primary bone cancer. Their mission is to save lives and improve outcomes for people affected by primary bone cancer through research, information, awareness and support. If you would like to read more about the work they do, please visit their website.

If you would like to contribute and make a donation towards this amazing charity, then you can do so here.

Best of luck to you both!

On Friday 10th November, MTL Advanced held their annual Apprentice of the Year Awards 2023 at the New York Stadium, Rotherham!

They welcomed over 100 guests including Dame Julie Kenny Chair of the Board of Trustees at Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust and former Master Cutler, to help celebrate our apprentices’ success over the past 12 months.

The evening was held to celebrate achievements and hard work of our apprentices with various awards presented for Outstanding Performance, Excellence, Integrity, Positivity, Teamwork and Safety.

Third year Welding & Fabrication Apprentice Ross was crowned as MTL Advanced Apprentice of the Year 2023, having already scooped the Excellence Award earlier in the evening!

Award Winners:

- Apprentice of the Year - Ross Doyle
- Apprentice of the Year Runner up - Joshua Colbert

- Outstanding Performance - Ellie Foster
- Excellence Award - Ross Doyle
- Integrity Award - Felix Satur
- Teamwork Award - Bailie Duke
- Safety Award - Liam Williams

A huge congratulations to all apprentices and to everyone who got invloved!

Visit our flickr page to see all the pictures from the event.

Steve Fitzpatrick, Brandon McDonough and Phil Taylor from our WEC Machining division are taking part in the Blackburn 10k on Sunday 3rd December, raising money for Tiny Tickers, a charity that try to provide a better start for tiny hearts.

We were first made aware of this charity when one of our WEC Machining employee's grandson Oliver was diagnosed with congenital heart defects (CHD) antenatally at the 20 week scan.

If you would like to contribute and make a donation towards this amazing charity, then you can do so here

Best of luck to you all!

We would like to welcome Lawrance Marshall to WEC Group.

Lawrance has joined HTA as an Engineering Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Jonny Holding who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for October and £100!

A huge well done Jonny and keep up the great work!

A big thank you to all who took part and donated for the Wear it Pink Day on Friday 20th October.

We raised a total of £524.64 between all of our divisions!

If you wish to read more about how our donations will be used, Click here.

A massive thank you again to all who took part!

Chris Bootes from our Waterjet Division and Ethan Carruthers from our Engineering Division are taking part in the Ultra White Collar Boxing to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The event will take place on Sunday 3rd December in Blackburn.

Any donations towards the fight would be greatly appreciated as it goes towards essential research that helps many people beat cancer every year. If you would like to donate or find out more about the event please find their just giving links below.

Chris Bootes Just Giving Page

Ethan Carruthers Just Giving Page

Good luck from everyone at WEC Group!

We would like welcome Simon Berrill to WEC Group.

Simon has joined Advanced Tank Solutions (ATS) as a Business Development Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to say a massive congratulations to Tamara Uzylow from our Machining Division, on graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a 2nd Class Honours Bachelor of Engineering Degree.

Amazing results Tamara, very well deserved.

Congratulations from everyone at WEC Group!

Friday 20th October is our dress down day for Wear it Pink 2023 to raise money for Breast Cancer Now.

We invite you to dress down and wear something pink for the day to mark the occasion and kindly request that you make a donation towards the campaign in exchange. We recommend a donation of £2. Collection tins will be in each reception in Darwen.

You can also donate online through our JustGiving page!

You do not have to dress down and may still attend work in your usual attire if you do not wish to take part/donate.

Don't forget to send your photos to Lois in Marketing to appear on our social media channels.

We would like to remind all staff members that it is okay not to be okay.

Our free confidential counselling helpline is available for everyone – 0800 107 6585 quote scheme 72740.

All employees also have access to the app ‘My Healthy Advantage’ should you need it. The app reference code for the app is MHA169154.

Our HR Manager Gemma Kennedy is a recognised Mental Health First Aider, who can be contacted should you need to talk to someone.

Please don’t hesitate to speak to someone about your worries and concerns. There is always help available for those who are struggling – Just ask. Sometimes the signs are hard to spot, so it’s everyone’s responsibility to be vigilant and always lend an ear to their colleague’s or friend’s worries.

To find out more about World Mental Health Day and to access top tips and information to help you manage your own mental well-being, please visit the website - World Mental Health Day.

To speak to the Samaritans, please call 116 123 for free.

Congratulations to Liston Voster who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for September and £100!

A huge well done Liston and keep up the great work!

We are delighted to share that our latest investment is now fully commissioned and up and running at our WEC Machining facility in Blackburn, with operator training currently underway.

Our new Correa Axia moving column CNC milling machine has a capacity of 12.5m x 3m x 1.5m and can handle parts of up to 20,000kg

This £1million investment in the very latest large and heavy machining technology consolidates our position as the leading precision engineering operation in the UK.

This latest addition joins our already impressive machinery line-up which comprises of two other 11.5m x 1.5m x 2.5m Correa Axia’s and an 8m x 1.5m x 2m Asquith Butler.

Congratulations to Graham Hague from our Engineering Division who has completed 25 years service at WEC Group.

Graham is one of our longest standing employees and we would like to thank him for his continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over the years.

During Graham's time at WEC, he has played an integral part in our success and growth by remaining a loyal and diligent staff member.

Congratulations and all the best Graham!

We are extremely proud to announce that we have once again been named as the Large Employer of the Year for the North West at the National Apprenticeship Awards 2023.

This year was the 20th anniversary of the awards which makes it extra special!

Apprentices are at the heart of our continued growth and success and we are really excited to be given the opportunity to represent the North West at the National Finals in November for the 7th time in 9 years.

We’re very excited to unveil the latest investment from our Laser Engineering division in Darwen.

Our two new 18-ton curtain sider lorries have entered service in our vehicle fleet yesterday and they are now ready to hit the roads around Lancashire and the rest of the UK.

This new investment will greatly improve our delivery capacity for laser cut and fabricated parts, allowing us to further reduce lead times for our customers. The new lorries will also help us to drastically reduce our carbon emissions in line with our ISO 14001 certified Environmental policies.

Both new trucks come fitted with onboard weighting systems, which will enable us to maximise both space and payloads. One of the new HGV lorries also has a double decker configuration, which will further reduce the number of journeys we need to make.

Continuous investment is at the forefront of our ongoing growth strategy and this has allowed us to grow into one of the UK’s most successful Laser Cutting and Fabrication companies.

We would like to welcome Vegas Ingham to WEC Group.

Vegas has joined WECJet as a Trainee Sales Estimator.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

It’s that time of the year again and we are looking forward to taking part in the Macmillian Coffee Morning next Friday 29th September in support of Macmillan Cancer Support!.

We’re looking forward to seeing (and eating!) all the fantastic cakes and sweet treats next week, whilst raising money that goes towards lifesaving support in the UK.

MTL Advanced will also be hosting a coffee morning in support of Hallam FM, Cash for Kids.

If you are also planning to host a coffee morning in your division and require some support with flyers/banners/etc, please let Lois in Marketing know.

We would like to welcome Luke Stacey to WEC Group.

Luke is our new Welding Instructor for WEC Group Training Academy based at MTL Advanced.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to express a heartfelt thank you to our Welder/Fabricator Graham Hague, who recently provided assistance to another one of our shopfloor workers who suffered a stroke while in work.

Thankfully, Graham spotted the signs, acted quickly and decisively, and insisted that his colleague be taken straight to hospital, despite him saying that he was ok.

The doctors stated that the situation would have been far worse without Graham’s intervention.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Graham!

We would like to wish Luke Wild from our WEC Laser division, a very Happy 30th Birthday!!

We hope you have a lovely day and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to say a big well done to our WEC Machining division for taking part in the Heaton Park 10k this weekend, raising money for our charity of the year Blackburn & Darwen Youth Zone.

So far they have raised an incredible £350!

If you would like to make a donation towards our charity of the year, then you can do so here

Well done to everyone who got involved!

Congratulations to Aron Belowski who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for August and £100!

A huge well done Aron and keep up the great work!

We would like to welcome Sebastian Stott to WEC Group.

Sebastian has joined our WEC Laser division as a Trainee Laser CAD Programmer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish Ethan Carruthers, from our Fabrication division, a very Happy 18th Birthday!

We hope you have a fantastic day and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to wish James Moore from our CCTV division, a very Happy early 30th Birthday for next week!

We hope you have a lovely week off and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Thomas Woods to WEC Group.

Thomas has joined WEC Group as Maintenance Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish our Sales Estimator Sebastian Richards a very Happy 21st Birthday!

We hope you have a great day celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to congratulate WEC Fabrication Apprentice Ethan Carruthers, on completing his Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship with a Distinction.

Amazing results Ethan, very well deserved.

Well done from all the team at WEC!

There has been some structural changes within the Group QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety & Environmental) department.

Mark Horton has changed job role from Group Quality Manager to Group QHSE Manager

Tyler Atkinson has changed job role from Group RWC (Responsible Welding Coordinator), to Group RWC/QHSE Engineer.

Both Mark and Tyler will be responsible for the day to day QHSE aspects for the Group, but will also be supported by an external Health & Safety Consultant. Tyler will still fully support the Group with their RWC requests via the QSHE database.

For group Quality, Health, Safety & Environmental requests, please use the following email: DG-QSHE

Please provide your full support to Mark and Tyler in their new roles.

We would like to welcome Kevin Johnson to WEC Group.

Kevin has joined HTA as a Contracts Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Joe Holland to WEC Group.

Joe has joined WEC Group as a Trainee Business Development Manager based in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Cory Mitchell who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for July and £100!

A huge well done Cory and keep up the great work!

David Madden from our laser department has set up a sports memorabilia raffle to help raise money for Parkinsons Disease.

The tickets are £5 each and can be paid through the just giving link below.

The prizes are as follows:
- Framed and signed John Fleck shirt
- Framed and signed double photo Gazza
- Framed and signed Mike Tyson photo
- Framed and signed double Dean Henderson photo
- Pair of unframed Arty Bianco prints

If you would like to enter the raffle and help raise money for this amazing cause, please Click Here

Congratulations to Tom Woodburn who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for June and £100!

A huge well done Tom and keep up the great work!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Megan Hargreaves who has been promoted to Marketing Assistant within the Group Marketing Department.

Congratulations Megan, very well deserved.

Our 10th Annual WEC Charity Golf Day took place on Friday 30th June 2023 at Accrington Golf Club. The golf day was open to customers, suppliers, staff and commercial associates of WEC Group, and there was some hard-fought competition among the 80 players on the green... despite the heavy downpour!

The charity we are supporting this year is Blackburn & Darwen Youthzone. Together we raised a fantastic £9,365 from registration fees, sponsorships, auctions, raffles and donations on the evening. This is the largest amount of money we have ever raised through one of our golf days!

We would like to thank everybody that got invloved, as well as all the generous donations that we received.

If you would like to view the photos from the day, then please visit our Flickr page.

We would like to say a massive well done to our Project Manager Jamie Hall for completing his first Ironman this weekend.

He finished in an incredible 15hrs 20mins!

Well done Jamie!

We would like to say a massive thank you to Janice Hacking who is leaving today, for her hard work and commitment to WEC Group over the best part of 17 years. It's been a pleasure to work alongside Janice in the Laser team!

Good luck on your new venture! You'll be missed from all the team at WEC!

Congratulations to Graham Greenwood and Chris Kilpatrick from our Engineering Division who have both completed 25 years service at WEC Group.

Graham and Chris are two of our longest standing employees and we would like to thank them both for their continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over the years.

During their time at WEC, Graham and Chris have both played an integral part in our success and growth by remaining loyal and diligent staff members.

Congratulations and all the best to you both!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Craig Emery who has been promoted to Production Manager at WEC CCTV.

Congratulations Craig, very well deserved.

Congratulations to Kieran McShane who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for May and £100!

A huge well done Kieran and keep up the great work!

We would like to welcome Jim Kinghorn to WEC Group.

Jim has joined WEC Group as the new General Manager at Special Projects.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

David Madden will be taking part in the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge this Saturday.

He will be raising money for Parkinsons Disease, as this is something that means a lot to him.

Matthew Borg and Dean Pickup will also be attempting to walk Yorkshire's 3 highest peaks, a 24.5 mile circuit.

If you would like to help raise money for this amazing cause, please Click Here

We would like to welcome Greg Lawrenson to WEC Group.

Greg has joined WEC Group as our Senior Marketing Executive.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

One of our Estimating Apprentices at MTL Advanced, Jack Upstone and his brother will be running 26 miles over June to raise money for the Royal British Legion.

RBL provide lifelong support to serving and ex-serving personnel of the armed forces and their families.

If you would like to support Jack and donate to this great cause, please Click Here

Any donations would be greatly appreciated!

As we’re coming to the end of Mental Health Awareness Week, we would like to remind everyone that help is available for anyone who needs it.

The theme for this year’s MHAW is Anxiety. It’s important to remember that many people suffer from anxiety and mental health issues - You are not alone.

Our free confidential counselling helpline is available for everyone – 0800 107 6585 quote scheme 72740.

All employees also have access to the app ‘My Healthy Advantage’ should you need it. The app reference code for the app is MHA169154.

Our HR Manager Gemma Kennedy is a recognised Mental Health First Aider, who can be contacted should you need to talk to someone.

We have great resources in the local area including – Shad Chefs - The Council Estate Food Connoisseurs | Facebook which is a male focused support group who meet up every week.

Please visit your GP or Doctor if you are struggling to cope with any Mental Health issues.

Free advice and help are available on the Mental Health Foundation website.

Please don’t hesitate to speak to someone about your worries and concerns. There is always help available for those who are struggling – Just ask.

We would like to welcome Edd Belshaw to WEC Group.

Edd has joined WEC Group as our Group Apprenticeship Coordinator.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Owen McLeish to WEC Group.

Owen has joined WEC Group as a Credit Control Assistant within our Accounts Department.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish Gabrielle Yates from our payroll department, a very Happy 21st Birthday!

We hope you have a lovely day off tomorrow and enjoy celebrating over the weekend!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Jack Simpson to WEC Group.

Jack has joined MTL as a Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Kieran McShane who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for April and £100!

A huge well done Kieran and keep up the great work!

We would like to say a massive congratulations to Magdalena Mogielnicka who has been promoted to Payroll Manager within the Group Payroll Department.

Congratulations Magda, very well deserved!

We would like to welcome Callum Lilley to WEC Group.

Callum has joined MTL as an Apprentice Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Iain Bell to WEC Group.

Iain has joined Sherburn Metalwork as a Business Development Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We are delighted to announce that WEC Group are sponsoring the Blackburn Beer & Gin Festival 2023. Helping to raise money for our Charity of the Year, Blackburn & Darwen Youth Zone.

This year’s Blackburn Beer & Gin Festival will take place on 28th, 29th and 30th April 2023 at Blackburn Rugby Club for the seventh year.

Friday evening tickets are available to all staff members, these are first come, first served. These are free to all staff.

The tickets will allow you entrance from 4pm on Friday evening.

If you would be interested in attending this event, or if you want more information, please contact the Marketing Team.

We would like to welcome Ben Britcliffe to WEC Group.

Ben has joined WEC Group as an IT Developer based in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Today we are saying farewell to one of our longest serving members of staff Margaret, she is retiring after 31 years at WEC Group!

We would like to say a massive thank you to Mags for all of the hard work and commitment towards the company throughout those years. Everyone at WEC Group will be exceptionally sad to see you go after being with the company since the early days.

Everyone from WEC wishes you the happiest of retirements Mags, you deserve it!

We would like to wish Lynn Royle a very happy retirement.

We'd like to thank Lynn for her hard work and commitment to the company over the past 10 years and wish her a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Enjoy your retirement Lynn, you deserve it!

We would like to wish our Welding & Engineering Academy Manager Kris Mercer a very Happy Birthday for next week.

We hope you have a fantastic week on holiday and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

Congratulations to Jamie Hayes who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for March and £100!

A huge well done Jamie and keep up the great work!

We would like to say well done to Natasha Wake-Smith from MTL for succesfully completing Get Fit in 4 Weeks on behalf of Cash for Kids South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire

Natasha has raised £113.45 of a £100 target. All the money goes towards helping the local disadvantaged children across South Yorkshire and Derbyshire

Well done Natasha!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Lois McHugh who has been promoted to Marketing Executive within the Group Marketing Department.

Congratulations Lois, very well deserved.

We are delighted to have been crowned the winner for Commitment to Skills at this year’s Red Rose Awards!

The award is a testament to our continued commitment to apprenticeships and the successful launch of our newly built Welding Engineering Academy.

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who works exceptionally hard to make WEC Group’s training programme a success. We will continue to invest in skills for the benefit of our local communities, and provide more opportunities for individuals wishing to begin a successful career in engineering.

To read more about our Red Rose Awards success, visit our website.

We would like to say a big well done to members from the MTL team, for participating in an Armed Forces Business Challenge!

They all had a great day taking part in numerous team building tasks, despite the snow.

Take a look at some photos of the team in action!

We would like to welcome Warren Seddon to WEC Group.

Warren has joined WEC Group as a Health & Safety Officer based in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Petru Covaci who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for February and £100!

A huge well done Petru and keep up the great work!

We would like to say a massive thank you to Lauren Williamson who is leaving today, for her hard work and commitment to WEC Group over the best part of 3 years. It's been a pleasure to work alongside Lauren in the Marketing team!

Good luck on your new venture! You'll be missed but we know you will do brilliantly, from all the team at WEC!

We would like to wish Tom Elliot from our M-Tec division, a very Happy early 60th Birthday for Saturday!

We hope you have a lovely weekend celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Jofin Babu to WEC Group.

Jofin has joined MTL as a Design Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to say goodbye and a huge thank you to Howard Slater from our IT Department, as today is his last day at WEC Group.

Howard has been a valuable member of our IT team for almost 8 years, developing and helping to improve our Group Databases.

Best of luck in your new job Howard!

We would like to welcome Lilianna Szafraniec to WEC Group.

Lilianna has joined MTL as their new HR Officer.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Gabrielle Yates to WEC Group.

Gabrielle has joined WEC Group as a Trainee Payroll Officer based in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Arran Kelly to WEC Group.

Arran has joined WEC Group as a Recruitment Officer based in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Dom Jeal who has been promoted to IT Development Manager within the Group IT Department.

Congratulations Dom, very well deserved.

Congratulations to Tom Woodburn who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for January and £100!

A huge well done Tom and keep up the great work!

Congratulations to Simon Ainsworth who has been named as our Welder of the Month for January for our WEC CCTV division, and has won himself £100!

Keep up the great work Simon, well done!

We would like to wish MTL's Operations Manager Michael Coates, a very Happy 50th Birthday! A big thank you to Lisa Sancho for the birthday cake!

We hope you have a lovely weekend celebrating with your family!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We are delighted to have been selected as a finalist for 2 categories at this year’s Red Rose Awards: the Made in Lancashire and Commitment to Skills awards!

As a company with strong roots in Lancashire, we are proud to be recognised for the support and work which we provide to our local community, through wealth generation, job creation and investment in skills.

Judging will take place on 8th & 9th February, with the awards evening taking place on Thursday 9th March.

Visit the Red Rose Awards website for the full list of finalists.

Congratulations to WEC Machining Administrator Claire Leliuga who has completed 25 years service at WEC Group.

Claire is one of our longest standing employees and we would like to thank her for her continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over the years.

During Claire's time at WEC, she has played an integral part in our success and growth by remaining a loyal and diligent staff member.

Congratulations and all the best Claire!

The 2023 Christmas Shutdown has been confirmed as follows: -

- Monday 25th December 2023: Bank Holiday
- Tuesday 26th December 2023: Bank Holiday
- Wednesday 27th December 2023: Statutory Holiday
- Thursday 28th December 2023: Statutory Holiday
- Friday 29th December 2023: Statutory Holiday
- Monday 1st January 2024: Bank Holiday

Should you have any questions concerning the 2023 Christmas shutdown, please contact Gemma Kennedy in HR.

We would like to congratulate Jonathan Holding who was crowned Welder of the Year 2022 for our Engineering division.

Johnny won the Welding Excellence Award numerous times last year.

Thank you for all your hard work in Engineering.

Well Done!

We are hosting 4 apprenticeship open evenings at different divisions in support of National Apprenticeship Week 2023 in February.

WEC Engineering Academy - Registration Page - Monday 6th February, 5:30pm-7:45pm.
Sherburn Metalwork - Registration Page - Tuesday 7th February, 5:30pm-8pm.
MTL Advanced - Registration Page - Wednesday 8th February, 4:30pm-7:00pm.
HTA Group - Registration Page - Wednesday 8th February, 5:30pm-8pm.

These are great opportunities for individuals who are interested in an engineering apprenticeship to tour our facilities and speak with current apprentices.

If you would like to share this information with anyone who may be interested in attending, click on the division name above for the downloadable PDF or send the link for the event registration page.

We would like to wish our Group Marketing Manager Jean Dziki, a very Happy Belated 40th Birthday for Friday!

We hope you had a lovely day celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

Congratulations to Paul Thompson who has been named as our Welder of the Month for December for our Special Projects & Laser Fab divisions, and has won himself £100!

Keep up the great work Paul, well done!

Congratulations to Connor Rawes who has been named as WEC CCTV's Welder of the Month for December and has won himself £100!

A huge well done Connor and keep up the great work!

Congratulations to Lewis McKenna who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for December and £100!

A huge well done Lewis and keep up the great work!

We held our annual Christmas Tree Competition this week and the votes have been counted. For the first time ever, we have a DRAW! Congratulations to WEC Machining and WEC Laser!

The votes are as follows -

WEC Laser - 17
WEC Machining - 17
WEC Academy - 11
Springvale / Engineering - 7
5750 - 6
Zen / WEC CCTV - 4
MTL - 1
HTA Group - 1
Special Projects - 1

Both divisions will receive a £50 donation to go towards a charity of their choice.

Thank you to everyone who got involved and voted!

We would like to say goodbye and a huge thank you to Lee Whiteley from our IT Department, as tomorrow will be is his last day at WEC Group.

Lee has been a valued member of the IT Team for over 16 years, initially supporting IT systems and infrastructure before spending the last 10 years developing our Databases.

Best of luck in your new job Lee!

We will be holding our annual Christmas Tree Competition this week across all of our divisions.

The winner will receive a £50 donation, which will be given to a charity of their choice. Please take a look at all of the entries below and send your vote to Marketing by 4pm on Thursday 22nd December.

Christmas Tree 2022 Entries

Good luck everyone!

A quick reminder that Friday 23rd December will be a dress down day for all staff.

Charity donations for our Charity of the Year Dementia UK are welcomed but not mandatory. If you wish to donate, please visit our Just Giving page.

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in this years Christmas Jumper Day, everyone looked extremely festive!

Thank you to all who donated, across the Group we raised a fantastic £223.61 to go towards helping children around the UK and the world who desperately need support.

MTL Advanced also raised over £200 for Cash for Kids through Hallam FM Radio Station.

Well done to everyone involved!

We are pleased to announce our recent partnership with The Ruskin Museum for the Bluebird K7 Hydroplane. WEC Group is the Ruskin Museums chosen engineering partner to deal with the ongoing maintenance of their hydroplane Bluebird K7, which was owned by Land and Water Speed Record breaker, Donald Campbell CBE.

Our welding and fabrication apprentices will get the opportunity to work on this exciting project at the new WEC Engineering Academy, which is located only a stones throw away from Samlesbury, where the hydroplane was originally built.

To read more about our new partnership, visit our website.

This December, Blackburn & Darwen Youth Zone is providing a free holiday club for all young people on free school meals.

There will be four full days of activities and food (free for those on free school meals). From magic to sport, science to dance and cooking to music – there’s a variety of activities throughout the week to suit everyone.

Running from Monday 19th - Thursday 22nd December at Blackburn Youth Zone & Youth Zone Darwen, with activities including:

- Arts & Crafts
- Sports
- Recreational Games
- Digital
- Music
- Health & Fitness
- Plus so much more

Sessions are running for age groups 8-12 and 13-16, with a limited number of spaces available. Sessions are free for those on free school meals and a small charge for others. To book a session, please call 01254 292000 or book online.

We would like to say a massive congratulations to our time-served Welder/Fabricator and former Apprentice Kieran McShane, who received the Special Recognition Award at The Welding Institute’s Annual Dinner earlier this month!

The award was given to Kieran to recognise his incredible achievements during the WorldSkills International Competition in Ohio, USA in October 2022.

Kieran trained exceptionally hard for the competition over the past 2 years and is now ranked as one of the top 10 Construction Metalwork apprentices in the world.

Well done Kieran from everyone at WEC Group!

Congratulations to Kieran McShane who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for November and £100!

A huge well done Kieran and keep up the great work!

MTL have raised over £200 from their bake sale, Christmas jumper day and other donations for Cash for Kids, through Hallam FM Radio Station.

The charity aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in our communities who are affected by poverty, illness, neglect or have additional needs.

Thank you to everyone who donated.

Congratulations to Alex Jepson and George Hawkey, who have been named as November’s Welders of the Month for our Special Projects and CCTV divisions and won themselves £100 each!

Well done to you both, keep up the fantastic work!

We would like to welcome Gary Ealing to WEC Group.

Gary has joined HTA Group as an Operations Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Matthew Green to WEC Group.

Matthew has joined HTA Group as a Technical Sales Estimator.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Anna Jozefiak to WEC Group.

Anna has joined MTL's Quality Team as a Quality Engineer.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

First year Welding and Fabrication apprentices Oliver Kershaw and Henry Garth fabricated a new trophy for the annual Turton Young Farmers Charity Christmas Tractor Run which took place on Sunday 5th December.

This year's charity run is the 2nd Tractor Run event and was organised to raise money for Bolton Mountain Rescue.

The trophy was awarded to the best overall decorated vehicle that took part in the charity run which started and ended at Brocklehead Farm in Darwen.

Natasha, Naomi, Holly and Hannah from MTL Advanced attended the Sheffield Children's Hospital Sponsored Snowflake Light Up Event to see MTL's snowflake on Monday 5th December. The charity has raised over £364k to go towards funding a new helicopter pad on the hospital, for easier transportation of patients and their families.

Their existing landing space for their emergency helicopter is currently in a busy park across the road, with them then having to make their way across a main road on foot with critically ill patients.

The new initiative will drastically help improve services at the hospital and we are incredibly proud to continue our support Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

To read more about The Children's Hospital Charity's incredible work, visit their website.

We would like to welcome Anthony Beckett-Edwards to WEC Group.

Anthony has joined MTL as a Senior Quality Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Deborah Barker to WEC Group.

Deborah has joined MTL as a Receptionist.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We are delighted to announce that WEC Group received the Highly Commended title for the British Army Large Employer of the Year Award at the National Apprentice Awards 2022 in London on Wednesday 30th November.

We are extremely proud to have our Training Academy recognised once again, demonstrating our long term commitment to tackle the skills gap within the manufacturing industry in the UK.

We would like to say a huge thank you and well done to all those who work exceptionally hard to make our apprenticeship programmes a success!

We will be taking part in the Annual Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for Save the Children on Friday 9th December and we would love for you to get involved!

We ask that you kindly donate £1-£2 in exchange for wearing a Christmas Jumper or Dressing down. All donations are greatly appreciated and will go towards helping children throughout the world who desperately need it.

MTL Advanced will be taking part in Christmas Jumper day to raise money for their local Mission Christmas Appeal with Hallam FM.

Please don't forget to send any pictures to the Marketing Team!

To read more about Save the Children's annual Christmas Jumper day, click here.

We would like to wish Steve Ogle from MTL's Logistics Department a very happy retirement!

We’d all like to thank him for his hard work and commitment to the company over the past 12 years and wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Enjoy your retirement Steve, you deserve it!

On Thursday 24th November, WEC Group held their annual Apprentice of the Year Awards 2022 at our newly built WEC Engineering Academy based in Blackburn!

The evening was held to celebrate the achievements and hard work of our apprentices with various awards presented for Business Excellence, Outstanding Academic Achievement, Welding Excellence, Machining Excellence and Commitment.

We would like to thank everyone who came to celebrate with us and once again congratulate our WEC Apprentice of the Year Jamie Heys.

Our winners on the night included: 2022 Winners - WEC Group:

- Apprentice of the year – Jamie Heys
- Highly Commended – Bobby Kay

Additional Awards:

- Commitment Award – Jonathon Walton
- Welding Excellence Award – Owen Finch
- Machining Excellence - Nathan Parkinson
- Business Apprentice Excellence Award - Megan Hargreaves
- Outstanding Academic Achievement Award - Jak Crompton

Congratulations to all our apprentices and to everyone involved! To read more about WEC's Apprentice of the Year Awards, visit our website or visit our facebook page to see all the pictures from the event.

We would like to say a massive congratulations to Natasha from MTL who got engaged whilst on her trip to Paris. Natasha's girlfriend Holly popped the big question infront of the Disney castle.

Best wishes to the happy couple from everyone at WEC!

On Wednesday 16th November, MTL held their first Apprentice of the Year Awards to celebrate the success of our apprentices in Rotherham.

We would like to thank everyone who came to celebrate with us and once again congratulate our Apprentice of the Year for MTL, Luke James. Our winners on the night included:

2022 Winners - MTL Advanced:

- Apprentice of the year – Luke James
- 2nd place – Ross Doyle

Additional Awards:

- Commitment Award – James Hamstead
- Fabrication Excellence Award – Riley Stesel
- Technical Production Excellence Award - Chandler Haigh
- Business Apprentice Excellence Award - Luke James


Congratulations to all our apprentices and to everyone involved!

To read more about MTL's Apprentice of the Year Awards, visit our website or visit our facebook page to see all the pictures from the event.

We would like to wish Jack Holden, a very Happy 30th Birthday!

We hope you had a fabulous day yesterday and enjoy celebrating over the weekend!

All the best from the team at WEC!

Congratulations to Johnny Holding who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for October and £100!

A huge well done Johnny and keep up the great work!

As you will be aware, tomorrow (11.11.2022) is Armistice Day which is observed to remember all service men and women who lost their lives in the line of duty and commemorate 104 years since the end of WWI.

WEC Group and all associated divisions will be a holding a 2 minute silence at 11:00am on the 11th day of the 11th month in honour of this.

All WEC employees are respectfully asked to observe the 2 minute silence.

It was a very successful evening for WEC Group at the Blackburn with Darwen Hive Business Awards on Friday evening, as we received two awards!

We brought home the trophy for the Investment in Skills Award on the back of our ongoing commitment to apprenticeships and the build of our new Engineering Academy. We were also thrilled to be awarded the Large Business of the Year Award, which is a testament to our continued commitment to supporting the local community and bringing wealth to the area through our growth and creating new jobs.

The Hive Business Awards celebrated their 10th awards evening, which was held to reward the outstanding work of businesses from various different sectors and inspirational individuals from across the Blackburn and Darwen area.

We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our staff who continue to work hard and help WEC Group make a positive impact on our community!

We would like to welcome Sophie Holgate to WEC Group.

Sophie has joined WEC Machining as a Trainee Estimator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Apprentice Welder Charlie Mckee and Welder Shaun Warburton, who have been named as October’s Welders of the Month for our Special Projects and CCTV divisions and won themselves £100 each!

Well done to you both, keep up the fantastic work!

Congratulations to Laura, from MTL's Programmes Department, and her partner Ben on welcoming their baby girl into the world.

Sophia Rose was born on Tuesday 25th October and weighed 7lb 10oz.

Congratulations from everyone at WEC Group!

Chris Bootes from our WECJet division and a number of his friends will be raising money for Cancer Research by taking part in a combination of Movember and a 100-a-day push-up challenge.

Chris wants to raise money for Cancer Research to show support and solidarity to a friend of his who has recently been diagnosed with cancer.

Any donations towards Chris’ challenge would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the challenge, please Click Here.

Last week, our apprentice Kieran McShane competed in the WorldSkills Special Edition Competition in Ohio, USA against the best of the best apprentice welders from China, Korea, USA & France.

The skill level was exceptionally high at this year's WorldSkills event, although Kieran missed out on a medal, he showcased his skills, dedication and talent at the international event and is now recognised as one of the top 10 Apprentice Fabricators in the world!

WorldSkills Mentor Andy Whitehouse said, "He is an inspiration to the future metal fabricator apprentices in the UK."

Kieran trained exceptionally hard for the competition over the past 2 years, including travelling to Finland in October to take part in an international pressure test.

A huge congratulations from everyone at WEC Group Kieran, you've made us all proud!

We would like to share a discount code with all our staff for a large sea front beach house in Blackpool. Ideal for groups up to 16 people, perfect for large family getaways, weekend breaks or special occasions.

Located on the North Promenade, the property has 7 bedrooms, including 6 ensuites, a large dining room, games room with pool table and darts, great sea views and secluded garden with BBQ and optional hot tub and drinks packages.

You can claim the 10% discount by using the code: wec10 on the website, Stays In Blackpool

You can download the flyer here.

We would like to welcome Richard Cooper to WEC Group.

Richard has joined Sherburn as a Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Leidy, from the Quality Department at MTL, and her husband David on welcoming their baby boy into the world.

Liam was born on Sunday 9th October and weighed 7lb 11oz.

Congratulations from everyone at WEC Group!

Friday 21st October is our dress down day for Wear it Pink 2022 to raise money for Breast Cancer Now.

We invite you to dress down and wear something pink for the day to mark the occasion and kindly request that you make a donation towards the campaign in exchange. We recommend a donation of £2.

You can also donate online through our JustGiving page!

You do not have to dress down and may still attend work in your usual attire if you do not wish to take part/donate.

Don't forget to send your photos to the Marketing Team to appear on our social media channels.

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Spencer from our Recruitment Team who proposed to his girlfriend Amanda whilst on holiday in Mexico. Spencer popped the big question on the beach and she said yes!

Best wishes to the happy couple from everybody at WEC!

Congratulations to Apprentice Welder Dennon Taylor, who has been named as Laser Fabrication's Welder of the Month for September and has won himself £100!

Well done Dennon, keep up the fantastic work!

We would like to remind all staff members that it is okay not to be okay.

Our free confidential counselling helpline is available for everyone – 0800 107 6585 quote scheme 72740.

All employees also have access to the app ‘My Healthy Advantage’ should you need it. The app reference code for the app is MHA169154.

Our HR Manager Gemma Kennedy is a recognised Mental Health First Aider, who can be contacted should you need to talk to someone.

We have great resources in the local area including – Shad Chefs - The Council Estate Food Connoisseurs | Facebook which is a male focused support group who meet up every week.

Please don’t hesitate to speak to someone about your worries and concerns. There is always help available for those who are struggling – Just ask.

The theme for this years WMHD is ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’.

To find out more about World Mental Health Day and to access top tips and information to help you manage your own mental well-being, please visit the website - World Mental Health Day.

Congratulations to Owen Finch who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for September and £100!

A huge well done Owen and keep up the great work!

WEC Group took part in the Macmillan Coffee Morning last Friday 30th September, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Many of our divisions hosted a bake sale!

In total we raised a fantastic £493.13, which will go towards helping people living with cancer.

A massive thank you to everyone who supplied the sweet treats and donated!

We hope everyone enjoyed the cakes and thank you again for helping raise money for such an important cause.

We are extremely proud to announce that we have once again been named as the Large Employer of the Year for the North West at the National Apprenticeship Awards 2022.

This comes on the back of a recent £3 million investment from our MD Steve Hartley to build a new Engineering Academy of the future in Blackburn. This has allowed us to increase our annual intake of apprentices to almost 50 in line with our ongoing commitment to bridge the engineering skill gap which plagues our industry.

Apprenticeships are at the heart of our continued success and we would like to thank all those who contribute to making our apprenticeship scheme a success.

We are now looking forward to represent the North West at the national event in November and hopefully bring the trophy back to Lancashire!

Congratulations to Connor Rawes, who has been named as WEC CCTV's Welder of the Month for September and has won himself £100!

Well done Connor, keep up the fantastic work!

We would like to welcome Bailie Duke to WEC Group.

Bailie has joined MTL as an Apprentice Business Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

Friday 30th September is the Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and we would like to invite each division to take part by having a bake sale.

Cakes can be shop bought or homemade and don't forget to email Marketing with pictures of your cakes!

To download a reminder poster for your office, please click here.

If you want to learn more about Macmillan and the work they do, visit their website.

For support hosting your own coffee morning event, please contact the Marketing Team.

Dear All,

The state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Monday 19th September at Westminster Abbey.

As the Country pays its final respects to our longest reigning Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, Steve Hartley would like all staff to have the opportunity to do the same.

Steve has taken the decision to close the business as a paid bank holiday in honour of the day and as a mark of respect.

As recently announced, our Welding & Fabrication Apprentice Kieran McShane has been selected to represent the UK at the international Worldskills 2022 Special Edition competition! Kieran was awarded the Silver Medal at the WorldSkillsUK 2020 competition leading to his SquadUK selection to compete in Shanghai 2021.

The 2021 event was postponed until 2022, then later unfortunately cancelled altogether due to ongoing lockdowns in China. Thankfully, the Construction Metalwork competition has now been rescheduled and relocated to take place in Cleveland, Ohio next month.

As part of his final preparations for the competition, Kieran will be travelling to Finland this week as part of SquadUK to take part in an International Pressure Test.

Good luck from everyone at WEC Group Kieran, we are all behind you!

To read more about Kieran’s Road to Ohio, visit our website.

Congratulations to Nigel Bimson, who has been named as WEC CCTV's Welder of the Month for August and has won himself £100!

Well done Nigel, keep up the fantastic work!

Congratulations to 3rd year apprentice Charlie McKee, who has been named as our Welder of the Month for August for our Special Projects & Laser Fab divisions, and has won himself £100!

Keep up the fantastic work Charlie, well done!

Congratulations to Vincent Yerkess who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for August and £100!

A huge well done Vincent and keep up the great work!

We would like to wish our Finance Director Wayne Tierney, a very Happy 60th Birthday for Sunday!

We hope you have a fabulous day and enjoy the weekend celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

MTL Welding & Fabrication Apprentices have been busy behind the scenes working with Artist James Capper on an exciting new nature inspired sculpture.

Our apprentices have spent over 3 months fabricating parts for Camillia, a new sculpture which will be permanently located in Rotherham town centre. The 8m tall sculpture has been designed to showcase the town’s industrial heritage and beautiful green spaces.

We would like to say a huge well done to all of the apprentices involved in the project and we can't wait to see the finished sculpture!

To read more about this exciting new sculpture, visit the BBC News Website.

We would like to congratulate WECJet Apprentice Cameron Carruthers, on completing his Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship with a Distinction in every element.

Amazing results Cameron, very well deserved.

Well done from all the team at WEC!

We would like to wish our Marketing Apprentice Megan Hargreaves, a very Happy 18th Birthday!

We hope you have a fabulous day and enjoy celebrating on your long weekend break!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Marianne Gboe-Taho to WEC Group.

Marianne has joined HTA Group as a Commercial Analyst Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Marie Minsiomi to WEC Group.

Marie has joined HTA Group as an Office Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Emma McHugh to WEC Group.

Emma has joined WEC Group as a Purchasing Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Catherine Marsden to WEC Group.

Catherine has joined WEC Group as an Accounts Assistant.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Daniel Mercer to WEC Group.

Daniel has joined 5750 Components as a Sales Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Ellie Foster to WEC Group.

Ellie has joined MTL as an Apprentice Operations Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Natasha Wake-Smith to WEC Group.

Natasha has joined MTL as a Recruitment Officer.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to first year apprentice Jamie Heys who has been named as our Welder of the Month for July and has won himself £100! Jamie was completing work for our Laser Fabrication division at the Engineering Academy.

Keep up the fantastic work Jamie, well done!

Congratulations to Johnny Holding who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for July and £100!

A huge well done Johnny and keep up the great work!

Congratulations to Jimmy Dodd who has been named as our Welder of the Month for June for our Special Projects, CCTV and Laser Fabrication divisions and has won himself £100!

Keep up the fantastic work Jimmy, well done!

Congratulations to Jason Chadwick who has been named as our Welder of the Month for May for our Special Projects, CCTV and Laser Fabrication divisions and has won himself £100!

Keep up the fantastic work Jason, well done!

We had our very first School visit at our new WEC Engineering Academy this morning, with a handful of Year 10 students from Darwen Vale High School visiting to learn more about careers in engineering.

The students had lots of fun learning how to MAG weld on our Lincoln Electric UK Virtual Welding Simulator and also learnt the concept of fusion creating chocolate Malteser structures.

We still have apprenticeship opportunities available to join our Engineering Academy in September 2022. If anyone you know may be interested, please ask them to send their CV to recruitment@wecl.co.uk or apply via our online apprenticeship application form.

Congratulations to our Stores Person Dennis Royle who has completed 25 years service at WEC Group today.

Dennis is one of our longest standing employees and we would like to thank him for his continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over the years.

During his time at WEC, he has played an integral part in our success and growth by remaining a loyal and diligent staff member.

Congratulations and all the best Dennis!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Adrian Radcliffe who has been promoted to Service Centre Manager for our Engineering Division.

Congratulations Adrian, very well deserved.

We would like to wish our Company Secretary Andrew Sedgley, a very Happy 60th Birthday for Sunday.

We hope you have a fabulous day and enjoy celebrating on your holiday!

All the best from the team at WEC!

Congratulations to Danny Sutton who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for June and £100!

A huge well done Danny and keep up the great work!

We would like to welcome Chris Dickinson to WEC Group.

Chris has joined our WEC Training Academy as an Apprenticeship Programmer Leader and Commercial Training Officer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Louise Melia to WEC Group.

Louise has joined WEC Group as a Purchase Ledger Clerk.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Jeanette from our Recruitment Team and her new husband Phil who tied the knot on Saturday 18th June.

The entire team at WEC would like to wish you both the very best!

Jeanette's new surname is Gledhill and she can be contacted on her updated email address - jeanette.gledhill@wecl.co.uk

The UK’s very first International Lincoln Electric Train the Trainer Event is being held at our newly built WEC Engineering Academy this week! WEC Engineering Academy will be Lincoln Electric's first Centre of Excellence outside of USA.

The course leader has flown over from America to deliver the training course to 10 welding teachers from across the UK, which include our Training Manager Kris Mercer.

This 5-day event is the beginning of a fantastic educational partnership with Lincoln Electric, that will enable us to provide Lincoln Electric Education training courses to third parties.

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has worked exceptionally hard over the past 18 months to complete the build of the Academy and allow us to host such fantastic events.

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Danielle Sharratt who has been promoted to full time Receptionist/Administrator at our new Training Academy.

Congratulations Danielle, very well deserved.

We would like to welcome Lewis Aspinall to WEC Group.

Lewis has joined WEC CCTV as a Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish Stalwart Mik Horsley from our WEC CCTV division a very happy retirement!

We’d all like to thank him for his hard work and commitment to the company over the past 21 years and wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Enjoy your retirement Mik, you deserve it!

Our First Year Welding & Fabrication apprentices, Conrad and Declan manufactured a historical beacon which was placed on Darwen’s Jubilee Tower and was lit during the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday celebrations.

The Jubilee beacon lighting event took place on Thursday 2nd June at the top of the newly refurbished Darwen tower, were thousands of local people attended the momentous occasion!

From everyone at WEC we would like to express our biggest congratulations to HM Queen Elizabeth II on celebrating her Platinum Jubilee!

Last week our 4th Year apprentice Kieran took part in a WorldSkills UK Construction Metalwork pressure test against a former gold medallist.

Kieran's final piece was this fantastic dump truck which required a wide range of engineering skills to fabricate over three days.

This is another great milestone achieved for Kieran's preperations for WorldSkills international Shanghai 2022 as part of Squad UK.

Kieran will be competing against the best apprentice welders from all across the world on the 12-17th October 2022 in Shanghai!

He will hopefully bring a gold medal back to the UK!

Keep up the brilliant work Kieran!

We were delighted to officially unveil the new plaque for Ashleigh Primary School’s newly planted Queen’s Platinum Jubilee commemorative hedge.

The new stainless steel plaque was laser cut by our Laser Engineering Division and donated to the school, which is located only a few yards away.

We are proud of our continuous support to our local community projects, such as this one.

A big well done to all those involved!

We would like to welcome Ryan Marsden to WEC Group.

Ryan has joined MTL Advanced as a Senior Project Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Russell Wilkinson to WEC Group.

Russell has joined WEC Fabrication as a Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to our Material Coordinator Jon Moore who has completed 25 years service at MTL.

Jon is one of MTL's longest standing employees and we would like to thank him for his continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over the years.

During his time at MTL, he has played an integral part in the company's success and growth by remaining a loyal and diligent staff member.

Congratulations and all the best Jon!

Congratulations to our 3rd year apprentice Charlie Mckee, who has been named as our Welder of the Month for April for our Special Projects, CCTV and Laser Fabrication divisions and has won himself £100!

Keep up the fantastic work Charlie, well done!

We are delighted to announce that we are now a gold patron for Youth Zone Darwen!

WEC Group are the latest company to respond to a fundraising drive to raise £250,000 to make a temporary Youth Zone Darwen offer permanent.

As one of the largest employers in Darwen, we understand the importance of giving back to our local community. The Youth Zone provides a safe place to socialise and supports youngsters to learn new skills and access new exciting opportunities!

You can read more about our support for the Youth Zone on the WEC Group website.

We would like to wish Lee Whiteley from our IT Department a very Happy Birthday.

We hope you have a fabulous day and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Jay Mistry to WEC Group.

Jay joined our Coventry site, HTA on 11th April as a Manufacturing CAD Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Artur Karwacki to WEC Group.

Artur joined our Coventry site, HTA on 11th April as a Robotic Welding Programmer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Jimmy Dixon who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for April and £100!

A huge well done Jimmy and keep up the great work!

As Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 begins, we would like to remind all staff members that it is okay not to be okay.

Our HR Manager Gemma Kennedy and Health & Safety Manager Damian Robinshaw are both now recognised Mental Health First Aiders, that can be contacted should you need to talk to someone. WEC Group have also set up a confidential counselling helpline. Phone number - 0800 107 6585 quote scheme 72740.

All employees will also have access to an app ‘My Healthy Advantage’ should you need it. The app reference code can be obtained from Gemma.

Please don’t hesitate to speak to someone about your worries and concerns. There is always help available for those who are struggling – Just ask.

The theme for this years MHAW is Loneliness and how our connection to other people and our community is fundamental to protecting our mental health.

Click Here to access top tips and information to help you manage your own mental well-being and how to overcome loneliness.

WEC Group received the Manufacturer of the Decade Award last night at Insider's Made in the North West Awards 2022! We successfully outvoted 9 other manufacturing companies within the North West to gain the well-deserved title.

The Group have previously been recognised at the Awards Ceremony for our dedication to Apprenticeships through our Engineering Academy at both regional and national level.

We would like to say a big thank you to all of our staff for the hardwork and dedication over the past 10 years and also thank you to everyone who voted for WEC Group.

We would like to say a huge congratulations to John Dinsdale who has been promoted to General Manager at Sherburn Metalwork.

Congratulations John, very well deserved.

Congratulations to our Project Engineer Andy Skorin who has completed 25 years service at MTL.

Andy is one of MTL's longest standing employees and we would like to thank him for his continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over the years.

During his time at MTL, he has played an integral part in the company's success and growth by remaining a loyal and diligent staff member.

Congratulations and all the best Andy!

Tomorrow night, WEC Group will be playing their first football match in the Orphanage Cup. This match is against Blackburn Eagles Coaches.

The match will kick off at 6pm at Pleasington Playing Fields, Blackburn. Its free to attend and we encourage all staff to head down and support our team.

Come and cheer the team along!

Good luck from everyone at WEC.

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Dom from the IT Team who this weekend proposed to his girlfriend Danielle and she said yes!

Best wishes to the happy couple from the IT Team and everybody at WEC!

Jack Holden from our CCTV Division is participating in a 24 hour swim challenge to raise money for A Breath for Life charity.

Jack and his wife Laura are participating in this challenge to raise money for this charity which is one close to their hearts.

If you would like to donate towards this fantastic challenge, please visit Jack's Just Giving page.

Good luck Jack!

Congratulations to Harry Chadwick who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for March and £100!

A huge well done Harry and keep up the great work!

Congratulations to our 3rd year apprentice Charlie Mckee, who has been named as our Welder of the Month for March for our Special Projects, CCTV and Laser Fabrication divisions and has won himself £100!

Keep up the fantastic work Charlie, well done!

WEC Group has been nominated as a shortlister for the Insider Made in North West's Manufacturer of the Decade Award!

WEC Group have previously been recognised at the Awards Ceremony for our dedication to Apprenticeships through our Engineering Academy at both regional and national level.

As the shortlist has been preselected, the winner will be decided by a voting system. You can vote for WEC Group as the Manufacturer of the Decade via the Insider Media website.

Entries close on Friday 22nd April, so please place your vote before then.

Thank you and good luck to WEC Group!

We would like to welcome Christopher Spence to WEC Group.

Christopher has joined our Maintenance Team as a Maintenance Fitter.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Chelsey Bray to WEC Group.

Chelsey has joined WEC Machining as an Office Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to say a big well done to Damian Robinshaw, our Health & Safety Manager who completed "The Great Tommy Sleep Out” last week to raise money for veterans that have been experiencing homelessness in the UK.

Thank you to everyone who has donated towards this important cause. You can still donate via Damian's facebook page or a sponsorship form which is being passed around the Darwen sites.

Well done Damian!

Our Health & Safety Manager Damian Robinshaw, will be taking part in "The Great Tommy Sleep Out” this evening.

He will be sleeping out rough tonight, to help raise money for veterans that are experiencing homelessness in the UK.

If you would like to support Damian then please visit his Facebook page below, any donations are greatly appreciated!

Damians Facebook page

Congratulations to Ryan Tomlinson who has been named as our Welder of the Month for our Special Projects, CCTV and Laser Fabrication divisions and has won himself £100!

Keep up the fantastic work Ryan, well done!

We would like to wish Geoffrey Clarke from our Maintenance Team a very happy retirement!

On Friday we said goodbye to Geoffrey who has been part of our Darwen Maintenance Team for over 15 years! We would like to say a huge thank you for all of the hard work and commitment from over the years.

Enjoy your retirement Geoff, you deserve it!

Congratulations to Ryan Hindle, Sales Estimator at WEC Laser, and his girlfriend for welcoming their baby boy into the world.

Ovie was born on Wednesday 23rd February and all the family are doing great.

Congratulations from all the team at WEC Group!

We would like to wish Peter Chapman from our Transport Team a very Happy 60th Birthday for tomorrow!

We hope that you enjoy your time off and have a fantastic day celebrating tomorrow!

All the best from the team at WEC.

Congratulations to Scott Clark who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for February and £100!

A huge well done Scott and keep up the great work!

We would like to say a massive thank you to Dawid from our laser fabrication team who has organised a collection of essential items. These will go towards helping the thousands of families who have had to flee the conflict.

The donations will be transported in the next few days thanks to the incredible efforts of the Polish Integration Society Centre based in Wrexham.

If you would like to donate towards the cost of transporting the donations to the Polish-Ukraine border, please visit the PISC JustGiving page.

Thank you to everyone who has donated towards this incredibly important cause.

We would like to welcome Stephen Shipley to WEC Group.

Stephen has joined our Knowsley site, 5750 Components as the new Business Development Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Dawid, one of the Press Brake Operators from our Riverside / Laser Fabrications Division, is collecting donations to provide humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine.

Wanted items include; Blankets, Sleeping Bags, First Aid Kits, Bandages, Metal Cups, Clothes, Towels, Personal Hygiene Items, Sanitary Products, Hair Brushes, Nappies & Toys for Children.

Cash donations can also be made if preferred as Dawid will make a trip to a supermarket for necessities.

All donations need to be dropped in the metal cage next to Michael Pickles office OR pass your donations to Dawid by Thursday 3rd March 2022

Thank you for your support.

We would like to wish our Accountant Shaun Thomas from our Finance Department, a very Happy 40th Birthday for next Monday!

We hope you have a great long weekend celebrating with your family! All the best from the team at WEC.

We would like to welcome Elizabeth Moorby to WEC Group.

Elizabeth has joined WEC Machining as an Office Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome William Evans to WEC Group.

William has joined WEC Group as a Maintenance Electrician.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Maryam Amani to WEC Group.

Maryam has joined our Coventry site HTA, as a Office Administrator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Joseph Holligan to WEC Group.

Joseph has joined WEC Group as a CAD Programmer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Joseph Cassidy to WEC Group.

Joseph has joined our Knowsley site 5750, as a Sales Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Jason Kay who has been named as our Welder of the Month for our Special Projects, CCTV and Laser Fabrication divisions and has won himself £100!

Keep up the fantastic work Jason, well done!

Congratulations to Lee Calvert who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for January and £100!

A huge well done Lee and keep up the great work!

We would like to welcome Jamie Smith to WEC Group.

Jamie has joined our Rotherham site MTL, as a Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish Tina Hoggatt a very happy 60th birthday for tomorrow!

We hope you have a fabulous day and enjoy your long weekend off celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Eric Sekul to WEC Group.

Eric has joined WEC Group as a Maintenance Fitter.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Damian Robinshaw to WEC Group.

Damian has joined WEC Group as our new Health and Safety Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We are hosting 3 apprenticeship open evenings at different divisions during National Apprenticeship Week in February.

Sherburn Metalwork - Registration Page - Monday 7th February, 5:30pm-8pm.
HTA Group - Registration Page - Wednesday 9th February, 5:30pm-8pm.
MTL Advanced - Registration page - Thursday 10th February, 4pm-7:00pm.

These are great opportunities for individuals who are interested in an engineering apprenticeship to tour our facilities and speak with current apprentices.

If you would like to share this information with anyone who may be interested in attending, click on the division name above for the downloadable PDF or send the link for the event registration page.

The 2022 Christmas Shutdown has been confirmed as follows: -

- Monday 26th December 2022: Bank Holiday
- Tuesday 27th December 2022: Bank Holiday
- Wednesday 28th December 2022: Statutory Holiday
- Thursday 29th December 2022: Statutory Holiday
- Friday 30th December 2022: Statutory Holiday
- Monday 2nd January 2023: Bank Holiday

Should you have any questions concerning the 2022 Christmas shutdown, please contact Gemma Kennedy in HR.

We would like to congratulate Danny Charlton who was crowned Welder of the Year 2021 for our Engineering division.

Danny won the Welding Excellence Award numerous times last year.

Thank you for all your hard work in Engineering.

Well Done!

We would like to welcome Ellie Lister to WEC Group.

Ellie has joined our Rotherham site MTL as a the new Admin Assistant.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Jack Bowes to WEC Group.

Jack has joined WEC Engineering as a Document Controller.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Rachel Henstock to WEC Group.

Rachel has joined WEC Engineering as a Sales Estimator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We held our annual Christmas Tree Competition before the start of our Christmas shutdown. The votes were counted and the winning division was.. WEC LASER!

The votes are as follows -

• WEC Laser - 26
• 5750 - 19
• Zen / WEC CCTV - 12
• MTL - 5
• Springvale / Engineering - 3
• WEC Machining - 2

Just before the Christmas break we said farewell to two members of our staff at Sherburn Metalwork, Les Steel and Ray Keeble. Both have been extremely valued members of staff throughout the years, Les having been with Sherburn/Optare for 34 years and Ray 24 years!

Everyone at Sherburn will be exceptionally sad to see you both go after being with the company since the very beginning. We would like to wish you both a happy and healthy retirement!

Today we are saying farewell to one of our longest serving members of staff Pio, he is retiring today after over 26 years at WEC Group!

We would like to say a massive thank you for all of the hard work you have done over all of those years, you will truly be missed by all.

Everyone from WEC wishes you the happiest of retirements Pio, you deserve it!

We would like to wish Alexander Pickup from our Laser CAD Programming Department, a very Happy early 21st Birthday for next week!

We hope you have a great day! All the best from the team at WEC.

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Jason Kay who has been named as our Welder of the Year for our Special Projects, CCTV and Laser Fabrication divisions and has won himself £100!

Jason was also named as Welder of the Month twice during 2021, receiving the award in February and August.

Keep up the fantastic work Jason, well done!

Congratulations to Alex Jepson from our Special Projects division, who has been named as Welder of the Month for November and has won himself £100!

Well done Alex, keep up the great work!

We will be holding our annual Christmas Tree Competition this week across all of our divisions. If you would like to enter, please send in your entries by lunch time on Wednesday 22nd December.

The winner will receive a £50 donation, which will be given to a charity of their choice. To be in with a chance of winning, email your pictures to the Marketing Team!

Good luck everyone!

Over the past few weeks we have been donating non-perishables to go towards Media Village Group’s annual campaign to donate as much as possible to Blackburn Foodbank for the festive period.

A massive thank you to everyone who donated! All of the donations will be going to those in our community who really need it over the next few weeks!

Congratulations to Simon Ainsworth from our CCTV division, who has been named December's Welder of the Month and has won himself £100!

Congratulations Simon and keep up the good work!

A quick reminder that we are asking for any kind donations of items for Blackburn Foodbank to create a WEC Group hamper. The donations will now be collected on Friday 17th December.

Items the foodbank typically needs are: tinned meat, tinned fish, tinned fruit, tinned vegetables, tea & coffee, UHT milk, soup, pasta, rice, cooking sauces, biscuits, snacks and jam.

A massive thank you to all who have already donated!

If you are able to make a donation, please bring your items to the Marketing Office in the Laser building by end of play Thursday, ready for collection on Friday.

To view a list of urgently required food items, visit the Blackburn Foodbank Website.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Congratulations to Danny Charlton who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for November and £100!

A huge well done Danny and keep up the great work!

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken part in this years Christmas Jumper Day, everyone is looking very festive!!

Thank you to everyone that has donated, please send any last minute donations to Marketing!

The total amount raised, will be announnced next week.

Friday 10th December is the Annual Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children and we would love for you to get involved!

We ask that you kindly donate £1-£2 in exchange for wearing a Christmas Jumper or Dressing down. All donations are greatly appreciated and will go towards helping children throughout the world who desperately need it.

Please don't forget to send any pictures to the Marketing Team!

To read more about Save the Children's annual Christmas Jumper day, click here.

We would like to wish Mik Horsley a very happy 70th birthday for yesterday!

Mik has been a valued member of our WEC CCTV division for 20 years.

We hope you had a fabulous weekend and enjoyed celebrating!

All the best from everyone at WEC!

Our accountants PM+M are appealing for gift donations to help less fortunate children in Blackburn, Burnley and Bury this Christmas.

They ask that all gifts are dropped off at your reception by Thursday 9th December at the latest. Gifts can be for children/teenagers of any age or gender.

We would like to thank all those who have made a donation so far.

Any donations will be greatly appreciated and will make a huge difference to a child's Christmas!

Click here for the Children Services addresses and for more information about the Christmas Present appeal.

Howard Fielding & Johnny Holding from our Engineering division took part in Movember and grew a pair of impressive looking moustaches to raise money for Solving Kids' Cancer Charity. They have incredibly raised over £600 for the charity!

There is still time to donate towards their cause, visit their JustGiving page!

A huge well done to you both, we love the tashs!

We would like to welcome Neil Jordan to WEC Group.

Neil has joined MTL as the New Paint Shop Manager at our Rotherham based site.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We are delighted to announce that Jimmy Mason was awarded with the Silver Medal at the WorldSkills UK Virtual Ceremony on Friday in the Construction Metalwork category!

We would also like to say a huge well done to Jonathon Walton, who received the Highly Commended award for his competition entry!

Congratulations to you both from all of us at WEC Group and well done to all of our apprentices who took part in the competition!

We are extremely proud that 3 of our Welding & Fabrication apprentices reached the WorldSkills UK Construction Metalwork competition final last week!

Corey Mitchell, Jonathon Walton & Jimmy Mason took part in the 3-day event and each submitted their final pieces last Friday.

The award ceremony and results will be broadcast live on the WorldSkills website at 4pm today! Click here to register and watch the virtual ceremony.

Congratulations to you all and good luck for this afternoon!

Chris Bootes from our WECJet division enters the boxing ring this Sunday to raise money for Cancer Research UK! His opponent has now been confirmed and it looks like it's going to be an exciting fight!

Any donations towards the fight would be greatly appreciated as it goes towards essential research that helps many people beat cancer every year. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the event click here.

Tickets to watch the event are £25, if you are interested in attending, please contact Chris.

Good Luck Chris!

We would like to congratulate Daniel Prickett from our Laser Engineering division who has recently moved to a different role, now working as Quality Engineer alongside John Birtwistle.

Daniel's previous experience setting press brakes and lasers, followed by his 3 years as a project engineer in our Laser Fabrication department made this a natural step.

Congratulations Daniel, keep up the good work!

Congratulations to Matt Walsh from our Special Projects division, who has been named October's Welder of the Month and has won himself £100!

Congratulations Matt and keep up the good work!

We are proud to be working with Media Village once again this year collecting food and supplies for Blackburn Foodbank during the festive period.

We ask for any kind donations of items for the foodbank to create a WEC Group hamper. The donations will be collected on Wednesday 15th December.

Items the foodbank typically needs are: tinned meat, tinned fish, tinned fruit, tinned vegetables, tea & coffee, UHT milk, soup, pasta, rice, cooking sauces, biscuits, snacks and jam.

To download and print the Foodbank Donation poster click here.

If you are able to make a donation, please bring your items to the Marketing Office in the Laser building.

To view a list of urgently required food items, visit the Blackburn Foodbank Website.

Thank you in advance for your support!

We would like to welcome Samara Grant to WEC Group.

Samara has joined WEC Group as our new Quality Support Administrator for the Quality Department.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Ethan Carruthers to WEC Group.

Ethan has joined WEC Fabrication & Large Machining as an Apprentice Sales Estimator.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We are delighted to have achieved full recertification to the ISO 3834 & BS EN 1090 for WEC Group, 5750 Components, Sherburn Metalwork & HTA Group and EN 15085 standards for WEC Group & HTA group.

These updated certificates have been issued based on an audit we had in August with The Welding Institute.

A special well done to Mihaela Mladin, Will Barr & Tyler Atkinson for all of their efforts in achieving these accreditations.

To view all of our accreditations, visit our Quality Page.

We would like to welcome Scott Beardmore to WEC Group.

Scott will be joining our Rotherham based divsion MTL as a Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Chloe Bubb to WEC Group.

Chloe will be joining our Rotherham based divsion MTL as an Estimator.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

It's just under 2 weeks until Chris Bootes from our Waterjet Division enters the boxing ring to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The Ultra White Collar Boxing event will take place on Sunday 28th November in Blackburn.

Any donations towards the fight would be greatly appreciated as it goes towards essential research that helps many people beat cancer every year. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the event click here.

Tickets to watch the event are £25, if you are interested in attending, please contact Chris.

Good luck Chris!

Congratulations to William Cottan who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for October and £100!

A huge well done Will and keep up the great work!

In honour of Remembrance Day, we will observe a 2 minute silence to commemorate 103 years since the end of World War 1.

The 2 minute silence will be held tomorrow, Thursday 11th November, at 11am.

During the silence, we remember those who served and sacrificed their lives.

All WEC employees are respectfully asked to observe the 2 minute silence so could all shop floor supervisors/foremen please make the necessary arrangements and let your staff know?

Thank you

Johnny Holding, Howard Fielding and Wayland Sutton from our Engineering division are taking part in Movember and growing their moustaches to raise money for Solving Kids' Cancer Charity.

Any donations would be greatly appreciated as it goes towards researching Neuroblastoma, which is a rare and aggressive childhood cancer that affects around 100 children each year in the UK.

If you would like to donate, visit their JustGiving page!

We will be sure to update you with the progress of the moustaches!

If anyone else is participating in Movember, contact the Marketing Team and let them know!

Thank you to all who took part and donated for the Wear it Pink Day on Friday 22nd October!

We raised a total of £361.18 between all of our divisions, almost double what we raised last year!

If you wish to read more about how our donations will be used, Click here.

A massive thank you again to all who took part!

We would like to welcome Fiona Andrew to WEC Group.

Fiona has joined WEC Group as a Purchase Ledger Clerk at our HQ in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

Following the creation of WEC Plasma and multiple recent investments in new machinery, we have updated our capacity list and Group brochure to reflect the company's new capabilities.

The latest capacity list can be downloaded here and the new Group brochure can be downloaded here.

Please ensure you replace your old files with the new ones and that the latest copies are being shared with customers.

Also please remember that our latest literature can be accessed at all times on the Intranet accounts page or the WEC Group Website's Download page.

We would like to welcome Daniel Gibbins to WEC Machining.

Daniel has joined WEC Group as a Trainee Estimator at our Machining division, based in Blackburn.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

A quick reminder from Pio from Maintenance that it is Wear it Pink day today to raise money for Breast Cancer Now!

You can donate online through our JustGiving page or in cash to your event organiser!

Don't forget to send your photos to the Marketing Team to appear on our social media channels.

Tomorrow, Friday 22nd October is our dress down day for Wear it Pink 2021 to raise money for Breast Cancer Now.

We invite you to dress down and wear something pink for the day to mark the occasion and kindly request that you make a donation towards the campaign in exchange. We recommend a donation of £2.

You can also donate online through our JustGiving page!

You do not have to dress down and may still attend work in your usual attire if you do not wish to take part/donate.

Don't forget to send your photos to the Marketing Team to appear on our social media channels.

Congratulations to Zbigniew Huczko who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for September and £100!

A huge well done Zbigniew and keep up the great work!

Congratulations to Jason Kay and Matt Clemson from our Special Projects division, who have been named as August and September's Welder of the Month and have won themselves £100 each!

Congratulations to you both, keep up the great work!

Friday 22nd October is our dress down day for Wear it Pink 2021.

We invite you to dress down and wear something pink for the day to mark the occasion and kindly request that you make a donation towards the campaign in exchange. We recommend a donation of £2.

You do not have to dress down and may still attend work in your usual attire if you do not wish to take part/donate.

Let's raise as much as possible for this worthy cause, click here for resources for the big day! There are also some raffle fundraising resources available, contact Megan for any further information.

Don't forget to send your photos to the Marketing Team to appear on our social media channels.

Scott Lofthouse from our 5750 Components division has completed both the London Marathon and the Manchester Marathon over the past two weekends raising money for the British Lung Foundation.

Scott and his partner completed this amazing challenge to raise money for BLF as it is a charity close to their hearts.

Even after completing both the marathons with impressive times, Scott is still running 5km every single day!

There is still time to donate towards Scott's marathon challenge. If you would like to donate, click here

If you would like to see daily updates from Scott click here

Well done Scott, from everyone at WEC!

We would like to welcome Tom Jarrold to WEC Group.

Tom has joined WEC Group as a Project Engineer at our CCTV division in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Alex Pickup to WEC Group.

Alex has joined WEC Group as a Trainee CAD Programmer at our Laser division in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Chris Bootes from our Waterjet Division is entering the boxing ring to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The Ultra White Collar Boxing event will take place on Sunday 28th November in Blackburn.

Any donations towards the fight would be greatly appreciated as it goes towards essential research that helps many people beat cancer every year. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the event click here.

Tickets to watch the event are £25, if you are interested in attending, please contact Chris.

Good luck from everyone at WEC Group!

We would like to welcome Jak Crompton to WEC Group.

Jak has joined our CCTV division in Darwen as an Apprentice Project Engineer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Scott Lofthouse, one of our Key Account Managers from our 5750 Components division will be taking part in the London and Manchester Marathon to raise money for British Lung Foundation.

Scott and his partner are completing this challenge to raise money for this charity as it is one close to their hearts.

He has also committed to running 5km every single day in 2021, covering over 1000 miles already this year!

Any donations would be greatly appreciated, if you would like to donate please click here

If you would like to see daily updates from Scott click here

A few of our divisions have taken part in the Macmillan Coffee Morning today in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

A massive thank you to everyone who supplied the sweet treats and donated!

It's not too late to donate, click here if you would like to donate online.

If you have any more pictures from your coffee morning event, please send them to the Marketing Team.

We would like to welcome Ryan Healey to WEC Group.

Ryan has joined us as an Accounts Assistant, at our Head Office in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Marion Read from our Special Projects Division & new husband Craig Crompton who tied the knot last week, after 25 years together.

The entire team here at WEC Group, would like to wish the very best to you both!

We would like to wish Lee Burns a very happy 50th birthday!

We hope you have a fabulous day and enjoy celebrating!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome James Lavelle to HTA Group.

James has joined HTA as a Trainee Estimator, based in Coventry.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Friday 24th September is the Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and we would like to invite each division to take part by having a bake sale.

Cakes can be shop bought or homemade and don't forget to email Marketing with pictures of your cakes!

If you want to learn more about Macmillan and the work they do, visit their website here

For support hosting your own coffee morning event, please contact the Marketing Team.

We would like to wish Dean Duffy a very happy early 30th birthday for Sunday!

We hope you have a nice day off tomorrow. Have a fantastic weekend and enjoy celebrating! 

All the best from the team at WEC!

Congratulations to James Dixon who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for August and £100!

A huge well done James and keep up the good work!

We would like to welcome David Binns to WEC Group.

David has joined WEC Group as a new Business Development Manager.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

They completed this challenge to raise money for The Teenage Cancer Trust. They chose this important charity as everyday seven young people aged 13-24 hear the words "you have cancer". They will each need specialised nursing care and support to get them through the toughest times they may have faced.

There is still time to donate, so any donations would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the challenge, click the link below.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wec-100-2021

A huge well done from everyone at WEC group!

Congratulations to Liam Croft from our Special Projects division, who has been named July's Welder of the Month and has won himself £100!

Congratulations Liam and keep up the good work!

Congratulations to MTL's General Manager Karl Stewart who has completed 25 years service today!

Karl has played an integral part in our success and growth at MTL, through his dedication and commitment within his role.

Onwards for the next 25 years!

Spencer Kelly from our Recruitment Team is taking part in the Cumbrian Challenge next month to raise money for veterans who are struggling with mental health issues, unemployment and homelessness.

Raising money will enable the charity to assist with early intervention programmes and speeding up access to therapy, this has been changing the lives of veterans and, crucially, their families.

Spencer’s aim is to reach £500, so any donations towards his challenge would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the Cumbrian Challenge, click the link below.

https://join.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/s/1556/1749

Good Luck to Spencer from everyone at WEC group!

We would like to wish the best of luck to Ethan Potter as today is his last day at WEC Group.

Ethan joined us as an Apprentice in 2015 and he has been a valued member of the Accounts Team since then.

Wishing you all the best in your next adventure Ethan!

We would like to wish the best of luck to Darryl Bond as today is his last day at WEC Group.

Darryl has been a valued member of the Laser CAD Programming Team for the past 17 and a half years and we are sure he will be missed.

Wishing you all the best in your next adventure Darryl!

We would like to welcome Narcis Ciubotaru to WEC Group.

Narcis has joined us as a Trainee Project Engineer at HTA Group in Coventry.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Katie Smith to WEC Group.

Katie has joined us as the new Group Credit Manager at our Head Office in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Mark Horton to WEC Group.

Mark has joined us as the new Group Quality Manager at our Head Office in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Two of our members of staff are setting themselves the almighty challenge of running 100 miles each in August! Chris from our Waterjet Division and Chris from our Laser cutting division are completing this challenge to raise money for The Teenage Cancer Trust.

They have chosen this important charity as everyday seven young people aged 13-24 hear the words "you have cancer". They will each need specialised nursing care and support to get them through the toughest times they may have faced.

Any donations towards their challenge would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the challenge, click the link below.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wec-100-2021

Good Luck to you both from everyone at WEC group!

We would like to welcome Lois McHugh to WEC Group.

Lois has joined us as a new Marketing Assistant at our Head Office in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

It's been another good week at WEC Machining and the Sales Team are now bringing in the orders with a wheelbarrow!!

We would like to welcome John Dinsdale to WEC Group.

John has joined us as the new Assistant General Manager of our Sherburn Metalwork Division.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Matthew Borg to WEC Group.

Matthew has joined WEC Group as a CAD Programmer at our Laser Division in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to our Production Engineer Dave Williams who has completed 25 years service at MTL this month.

Dave is one of MTL's longest standing employees and we would like to thank him for his continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over the years.

During his time at MTL, he has played an integral part in the company's success and growth by remaining a loyal and diligent staff member.

Congratulations and all the best Dave!

Congratulations to Matt Walsh from our Special Projects division, who has been named June's Welder of the Month for our Special Projects, CCTV, and Laser Fab divisions and has won himself £100!

Congratulations Matt and keep up the good work!

At the beginning of the year Wayne Dudson from our MTL Division set the challenge to run a marathon in a month to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Wayne completed his challenge and raised an amazing £715! He has now decided to double his running distance and raise more money for the organisation, as Charities have been hit hard during the pandemic!

If you would like to donate to Wayne's challenge, please click here.

Good luck Wayne!

Congratulations to Tom Woodburn who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for June and £100!

A huge well done Tom and keep up the good work!

Congratulations to our Laser CAD Programming Manager Dean Pickup who has completed 25 years service at WEC Group today.

Dean is one of our longest standing employees and we would like to thank him for his continuous dedication, commitment and hard work over the years.

During his time at WEC, he has played an integral part in our success and growth by remaining a loyal and diligent staff member.

Congratulations and all the best Dean!

We are delighted to have achieved full accreditation to ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Standard.

This new certificate comes on the back of a successful audit after an 18 month rigorous process to update and improve our environmental policies and systems.

A special well done to our Certification and Compliance Manager Mihaela Mladin as well as our Health and Safety Manager Sean Connor.

The new accreditation will enable us to meet the requirements of ongoing Nuclear, Aerospace & Defence contracts.

We would like to congratulate our Certification and Compliance Manager Mihaela Mladin on being granted full British Citizenship.

We know that this meant a lot to Mihaela, and we are all very pleased for her.

We would like to welcome Esther McRae to WEC Group.

Esther has joined WEC Group as our new Credit Manager at our Head Office in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish Jack Morton a very happy retirement!

Jack Morton retires today after almost ten years fantastic service to the Group. Since joining the company Jack has been key in developing necessary credit management and related processes during a period of rapid growth and increased complexity in the business, often through very challenging economic situations.

His dedication and commitment to the role has been exemplary and he leaves the business very well placed for the future in this area. A personal thank you from Wayne Tierney for amazing support throughout.

Enjoy your retirement Jack, you’ve earned it!

Esther McRae is replacing Jack, with details to follow.

We would like to congratulate Tony Gormley who has just been appointed as Assistant General Manager at 5750 Components.

Tony will assist Mike Fitzgibbon in the day-to-day running of the company on top of his previous Sales Manager duties.

A big congratulations are in order!

We have a number of promotions to celebrate at 5750 Components this week! We would like to say a huge congratulations to the following -

Joseph Michaels who has been promoted to Laser Supervisor, Anthony Jervis who has been promoted to Press Brake Supervisor and Ryan Jervis who has been promoted to Tube Supervisor.

Congratulations to all of you, very well deserved.

We would like to welcome Dean Duffy to WEC Group.

Dean has joined WEC Group as a Recruitment Officer at our Head Office in Darwen.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We want to say a big congratulations to both Jason Chadwick and Jason Kay who have been named Welder of the Month for April & May for our Special Projects, CCTV, and Laser Fab divisions and have won themselves £100 each!


Congratulations to you both and be sure to keep up the good work!

We would like to welcome Cameron Carruthers to WEC Group.

Cameron has joined WEC Group as a Business Administration Apprentice at our WECJet site in Blackburn.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Anthony Farran to WEC Group.

Anthony has joined WEC Group as a CAD Programmer at our WECJet site in Blackburn.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Megan Hargreaves to WEC Group.

Megan has joined WEC Group as HR & Marketing trainee at our Darwen site.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

We would like to wish Andy Howarth a very happy retirement!

Andy retires today as our QHSE Group Manager after being with us for 23 years. We are certain that he will be dearly missed!

Wishing you all the best and we hope that you enjoy every minute of your retirement!

It's that time of the year again where we decide the Charity of the Year and we would love to hear your suggestions for 2021!

Please email all your suggestions to the Marketing Team by close of play on Tuesday 25th May.

We have already received a few, so keep them coming!

We would like to welcome Iain Malone to WEC Group.

Iain has joined WEC Group as Maintenance Manager for the Darwen site.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

We would like to welcome Lorraine Bailey to WEC Group.

Lorraine has joined WEC Group as an administrator at our Stafford site .

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

As Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 begins, we want to remind all staff members that it is okay not to be okay.

As the hustle and bustle of normal life starts to return, it is so important that you communicate with others about any of your worries or concerns.

There is always help available for those who are struggling - Just ask.

The theme for this years MHAW is Nature and how being outside experiencing nature first hand can have an extremely positive impact on mental well-being!

Click Here to access more top tips and information to help you manage your own mental well-being and how to connect more with nature!

Congratulations to Danny Charlton who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for April and £100!

A huge well done Danny and keep up the good work!

We would like to wish Vivien Simmons a very happy retirement!

Vivien retires tomorrow from WEC CCTV's logistics team after being with us for 13 years. We are certain that she will be dearly missed!

Wishing you all the best and we hope that you enjoy every minute of your retirement!

We are now recruiting for our September 2021 intake of Apprentices.

We have 53 different apprenticeship schemes on offer:

We would like to wish April Connolly a very happy early 30th birthday for Sunday!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend April and enjoy celebrating with your family!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We would like to welcome Jeanette Brindle to WEC Group.

Jeanette will be joining our Darwen Site as a Recruitment Officer.

We are sure you will provide her with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to David Jones who has been named March's Welder of the Month for our Special Projects, CCTV, and Laser Fab divisions and has won himself £100!

Congratulations David and keep up the good work!

Congratulations to both WEC, Sherburn and HTA on achieving the EN ISO-3834-2 Certification following our successful assessment.

A big well done to the Quality team!

A copy of the certificate can be downloaded from the HSQE page on the intranet.

We would like to wish Paul Greenwood a very happy early 50th birthday for tomorrow! Paul is our Group Transport Manager at WEC Group!

We hope you have a fantastic day off tomorrow Paul and enjoy celebrating with your family!

All the best from the team at WEC!

We want to say a huge congratulations to Chris Bootes from our Waterjet Division who has completed his 100km challenge in aid of The Mental Health Foundation and raised an incredible £780!

Chris wanted to raise money for this important charity as right now, many individuals are faced with mental health struggles. The money he has raised will go towards helping people that truly need it.

You can still donate towards Chris' challenge, every little helps! If you would like to donate or to find out more about the challenge, please Click Here.

Congratulations on completing this fantastic challenge Chris!

Congratulations to Liam Bagley who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for March and £100!

A huge well done Liam and Keep up the good work!

We would like to welcome Mark Djordjevic to WEC Group.

Mark will be joining our Coventry based divsion HTA Group as a Buyer.

We are sure you will provide him with a warm welcome!

Congratulations to Jason Kay who has been named February's Welder of the Month for our Special Projects, CCTV, and Laser Fab divisions and has won himself £100!

Congratulations Jason and keep up the good work!

Congratulations to Ryan Tomlinson who has been named January's Welder of the Month for our Special Projects, CCTV, and Laser Fab divisions and has won himself £100!

Keep up the good work Ryan!

Congratulations to Tom Woodburn who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for February and £100!

A huge well done Tom and Keep up the good work!

Chris Bootes from our Waterjet Division has upped his challenge and is now running 100km in aid of The Mental Health Foundation.

Chris wants to raise money for this important charity as right now, many individuals are faced with mental health struggles. He wants to raise awareness and raise money that goes towards helping people that truly need it.

Any donations towards Chris' challenge would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the challenge, please Click Here.

Please Note: If Chris raises £500, he will complete his last run in only his underwear!

Good Luck with this fantastic challenge Chris!

The 2021 Christmas Shutdown has been confirmed as follows: -

- Friday 24th December 2021: Statutory Holiday
- Monday 27th December 2021: Bank Holiday
- Tuesday 28th December 2021: Bank Holiday
- Wednesday 29th December 2021: Statutory Holiday
- Thursday 30th December 2021 : Statutory Holiday
- Friday 31st December 2021: Statutory Holiday
- Monday 3rd January 2022: Bank Holiday

Should you have any questions concerning the 2021 Christmas shutdown, please contact Gemma Kennedy in HR.

Congratulations to Jimmy Mason who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for January and £100!

Jimmy was selected as Welder of the Month for his outstanding work fabricating steelwork for our new Training Academy.

Keep up the great work Jimmy and Well done!

Damon Weir from our Laser Division has set himself the challenge of running 100 miles to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust.

Damon has lost friends to cancer when he was younger and has recently regained his fitness and wishes to complete the challenge to give back to this incredible charity. Damon wants to do as much as he can to help charities that have been hit hard during the current pandemic.

If you would like to donate towards Damon's Challenge, please Click Here.

Good Luck Damon!

Wayne Dudson from our MTL Division recently set the challenge to run a marathon in a month to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Wayne has now completed his challenge and raised an amazing £590! Thank you to everyone who donated to Wayne's challenge, as all the money goes towards helping saves thousands of lives each year!

There is still time to donate to Wayne's challenge, if you would like to do this please Click Here.

Well done Wayne on completing this incredible challenge!

Michael Ellmore from our MTL Division has challenged himself to take part in the Peak District Cross Country Marathon (AKA The Race from Hell) to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Any donations made would be greatly appreciated and would be helping so many people who are affected by Cancer, as Macmillan offer Emotional, Physical and financial support to those who need it.

If you would like to donate to Michael's challenge, Click Here.

Wayne Dudson from our MTL Division has set the challenge to run a marathon in a month to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Any donations would be greatly appreciated and would be going to an exceptionally important Charity which helps save thousands of men's lives each year.

If you would like to follow Wayne's progress or would like to donate, Click Here.

We would like to announce that today is Wayne Wild's official last day with WEC.

As everyone is aware Wayne has been instrumental in building the Group to what it is today in the fifteen years he has been with us and I am sure you will all join us in wishing him every success for the future for his new business ventures.

Yesterday we celebrated our Apprentices who have excelled throughout 2020! Our apprentice Jimmy Mason has been named as WEC’s Apprentice of the year 2020. A huge congratulations to Jimmy and well done for all your great work throughout the year. A big well done to all the runners up who’ve all done amazing.

3rd year apprentice Jonathon Walton has also been awarded the commitment award for all of his fantastic work throughout the year. Congratulations Jonathon and we look forward to seeing more of your work next year.

Last but not least, a huge congratulations go to Kieran McShane who has won our Apprentice Welding Excellence Award. Thank you for all of your hard work during the past 12 months Kieran and keep it up.

We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of all our apprentices and we want to say a massive thank you to everyone who continues to make our Award-winning training academy a success!

Blackburn & Darwen Band are taking part in a National campaign to save our brass bands. They are 180 years old this year and all of their celebrations and concerts have been postponed due to the pandemic.

They have reached £2156 of their £4000 target and kindly ask for any donations to help their Brass Band survive during the pandemic.

Click here if you would like to donate!

Any help will be greatly appreciated by Blackburn & Darwen Band and will help them continue making music in our great community.

We would like to wish Martyn Sealeaf a very happy 50th birthday!

Martyn is one of our longest-serving members of staff, having been with the company since he was just 20 years old! We hope you have a fantastic day and enjoy celebrating with your family!

All the best from the team at WEC!

Please see below a selection of electronic Christmas cards for pasting at the bottom of outgoing emails this festive season.

Thank you to all who took part in Christmas Jumper Day and donated last Friday!

We raised a total of £147.58 between all of our divisions.

If you wish to read more about Save the Children and how your donations will be used, Click here.

A massive thank you again to all who took part.

Congratulations to Harry Chadwick who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for November and £100!

Keep up the great work Harry and Well done!

Friday 11th December is the Annual Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children and we would love for you to get involved!

We ask that you kindly donate £1-£2 in exchange for wearing a Christmas Jumper or Dressing down. All donations are greatly appreciated and will go towards helping children throughout the world who desperately need it.

Please don't forget to send any socially distanced pictures to the Marketing Team!

To read more about Save the Children's annual Christmas Jumper day, click here.

Our accountants PM+M are appealing for gift donations to help less fortunate children in Blackburn, Burnley and Bury this Christmas.

This year they politely request that only gift vouchers are donated to ensure they can be easily posted and their appeal can be contact-free! They ask that all gift vouchers are posted directly to Children’s Services to further minimise contact between PM+M and the children’s services teams.

Any donations will be greatly appreciated and will make a huge difference to a child's Christmas!

Click here for the Children Services addresses and for more information about the Christmas Present appeal.

We are absolutely delighted to have been named Large Employer of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards yesterday evening! We are so pleased to have our Training Academy nationally recognised after years of commitment and dedication to Apprenticeships.

We want to say a huge congratulations and thank you to everyone who continues to make our Apprenticeship Training Academy a success, and a huge thank you to our apprentices who have worked tirelessly throughout an exceptionally challenging year!

Click here to read more about our national win on our website or click here to view the full press release.

Well done everyone!

The National Apprenticeship Awards will be taking place virtually on Wednesday 25th November at 7:30pm.

After our Regional success earlier this month, we are hoping to bring the National Large Employer of the Year Award back to Darwen!

To watch the virtual event live, follow the link below on the night. There are no login details, just provide a name and an email!

Apprentice Awards Live Stream Link

Congratulations to Howard Fielding who has won Welding Engineering's Welding Excellence Award for October and £100!

Keep up the great work Howard and Well done!