STAFF at a Rawdon-based British cooling specialist have received long service awards - notching up hundreds of years between them.

Airedale International, which was formed in 1974, rewarded more than 35 long-serving employees at an annual lunch. The group had clocked up a total of 810 years’ service between them, an average of 23 years each.

Phil Irvin, spares despatch technician, came to Airedale from a dyers and bleachers mill in 1989. He joined on the same day as his brother, Colin, who is one of Airedale’s 40 service engineers. Phil said: “I’ve been here 25 years and still like coming to Airedale. A lot of people started around the same time as me and they are still here. That’s why it’s a good company to work for - we have all grown up together, alongside the company which has also grown.”