Air Products in the Community at Acrefair

As a major employer and member of many different community groups within the UK, it’s clear to us that helping to develop and maintain healthy and vibrant communities is as important to us as our business. It’s key to our ability to attract, retain and develop talented employees and to operate a successful and growing business. We regard our role of employer and member of the community with the utmost importance and hold our neighbours and local community groups in high regard.

Throughout the UK Air Products looks to support a variety of charitable causes, but in particular; educational institutes, health & welfare organisations, community services, youth development and recreational organisations, for the benefit of communities local to our sites. Some of the more recent charity initiatives we have supported in the North West include donations to both Hope House and Nightingale House Hospices; the donation of 13 computers plus ancilliary equipment to facilitate 'network' learning at Rhosymedre Junior School, Plas Madoc; and the donation of a digital camcorder and DVD player to history students at Ysgol Dinas Bran in Llangollen.

Through these initiatives, our aim is to be an employer of choice, known as much for the way we value our employees and communities, as for the quality of our products or our earnings.

Recent Community Events:

Acrefair Facility Welcomes Royal Visitor

Air Products Acrefair welcomed a very special guest to the site during April, as His Royal Highness (HRH) The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, visited the works for a morning tour.

General Manager for Acrefair, Laurence O’Donnell escorted His Royal Highness around the site along with Air Products European President, Bernard Guerini and Vice President, Global Engineering Organisation – Europe, Dave Edmondson. They were accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Clywd, Trefor Jones, CBE, former Chairman and Chief Executive of Pilkington Optronics Plc. In addition to introducing dozens of staff to His Royal Highness, Laurence, Bernard and Dave were able to showcase many of the projects currently in the works including an Air Separation Unit which will produce Nitrogen and is destined for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal being built on the Isle of Grain in the Thames Estuary; and a 160ft-long Cold Box destined for a customer in Peru.

The Duke took time out on his tour to speak to several Air Products staff at Acrefair, including craftsman, Keith Lloyd,. Keith, who has 41 years service with Air Products, along with Grant Williams, an apprentice craftsman in his 4th and final year, were amongst the first members of staff to meet The Duke of York, second son and the third child of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, during the tour. The Duke spent several minutes talking to Keith and Grant before going on to meet several other members of staff and learn more about the important projects currently being manufactured on site.

“I was quite nervous before meeting the Duke,” said Keith, “but he was really friendly and interested in what we were doing. We had hoped he would put the final couple of rivets in the distillation tray Grant and I were working on, but he declined so we had to finish the job off ourselves!”