On Tuesday 5 November, HRH The Prince of Wales visited Herefordshire as part of the launch of the Gilpin 2020 Festival.
The festival celebrates the county’s town Ross-On-Wye as the birthplace of British tourism, and Prince Charles was greeted by residents and businesses throughout his tour on the day.
Chamber Member ETL Systems Ltd was visited by The Prince of Wales (photographed) as part of the royal outing, and the satellite technology company was thrilled to be commended for its global success from its rural location.
Chief Executive Officer of ETL Systems, Ian Hilditch commented on the royal visit: “it was a great honour to have HRH visit our facilities.
“Hopefully, we were able to show a glimpse of some technology being produced in amongst the apple orchards of Herefordshire. We have aggressive growth plans over the coming years, and we hope that will further the local economy.”
ETL Systems has previously won three Queens Awards for Enterprise in the category of International Trade. The awards are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses, and winners frequently benefit from worldwide recognition as part of the seal of success.
The visit by HRH Prince Charles included a tour of its facilities and meeting the 120 on-site staff. The day was concluded by the unveiling of a commemorative plaque to recognise the hard work and success of all who work for ETL.
In a speech to ETL staff Prince Charles said: “What you all do is remarkable and is of enormous importance to Herefordshire and to the country.
“It is wonderful to see such skilled engineering being applied in this particular field. Clearly you are producing a very high quality, high standard equipment which is used to great effect by customers in 180 countries.”
It is fantastic to see Herefordshire in the spotlight as businesses continue to grow and flourish in the region.
The visit follows news that the area will be benefit from new government funding to help support in the creation of new jobs to help business growth in rural areas.
The scheme has already granted £99 million to over 500 businesses across the country, creating almost 4,000 new jobs in rural parts of England.
To find out more about the scheme, please visit here.