Alison Parker Meets His Majesty The King at St James’s Palace Following King’s Award Success

Held in celebration of the 2026 recipients of the King’s Award for Enterprise, the reception brought together some of the United Kingdom’s most outstanding businesses to recognise their achievements and contribution to the nation’s economy.

The reception was attended by His Majesty The King, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, and Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, making it an exceptional occasion for all those invited.

As one of this year’s recipients of the King’s Award for Enterprise in Promoting Opportunity, Acres Engineering was proud to be represented by Alison, who had the privilege of meeting His Majesty The King during the reception.

During their conversation, Alison explained that Acres Engineering is a British manufacturer based in Melbourne, Derbyshire, designing and manufacturing engineering solutions here in the UK. His Majesty spoke warmly about the importance of businesses continuing to manufacture in Britain and expressed his delight to hear that Acres Engineering does so. He remarked that more companies should be manufacturing in the United Kingdom, highlighting the vital role British industry continues to play in supporting the nation’s prosperity, skills and communities.

For everyone at Acres Engineering, those words from His Majesty were particularly meaningful. As a business that has invested heavily in UK manufacturing, apprenticeships, technology and people, it was a proud moment to hear such strong support for British industry from The King himself.

Receiving the King’s Award for Enterprise in Promoting Opportunity is recognition of many years of commitment to creating opportunities for others. Through apprenticeships, work experience, partnerships with schools and colleges, inclusive recruitment and investment in skills, Acres Engineering has always believed that successful businesses have a responsibility to develop the next generation while strengthening the communities they serve.

Reflecting on the day, Alison said:

“Representing Acres Engineering at St James’s Palace was an incredible honour and a day I will remember forever. Meeting His Majesty The King and speaking with him about British manufacturing was a genuine privilege. It was wonderful to hear how passionate he is about businesses continuing to manufacture here in the UK, and how pleased he was to learn about the work we do in Derbyshire. It made me immensely proud of everything our team has achieved.”

Managing Director Luke Parker added:

“This was an incredibly proud moment for Acres Engineering. While Alison had the honour of representing us at St James’s Palace, the invitation belongs to every member of our team. Our King’s Award recognises years of dedication from people across the business who work tirelessly to create opportunities for others while delivering world-class engineering from right here in Derbyshire.”

“To hear His Majesty speak so positively about the importance of manufacturing in the UK and to know that Acres Engineering is part of that conversation is something we are immensely proud of. It reinforces everything we believe in – investing in British manufacturing, supporting apprenticeships, creating skilled careers and proving that manufacturing has a bright future in this country.”

The King’s Award for Enterprise is the United Kingdom’s highest official recognition for business excellence and is regarded as the most prestigious business award in the country. It celebrates organisations that demonstrate outstanding achievement in innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility.

For Acres Engineering, this latest milestone is not the end of the journey but another step forward. We remain committed to investing in our people, supporting our customers, championing apprenticeships, engaging with education and helping to ensure that advanced manufacturing continues to thrive in the United Kingdom.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to His Majesty The King and the King’s Awards Office for hosting such a memorable reception, and offer our congratulations to all of this year’s King’s Award recipients.

It was a truly unforgettable day, and one that everyone at Acres Engineering will be immensely proud to have been part of.

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Acres have a range of standard products but also support clients with custom machinery and medium-high volume products such as trolleys, stillages etc. 

We have manufactured lots of different tables / workstations / workbenches for various industries.

We also manufacture access platforms, jigs and fixtures and many other types of production support solutions / products. 

Talk to us today about your requirements: Sales@Acres.Engineering / 01332695240 / Contact Us Form

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Want to know more about Acres Engineering?

We are based in the UK from our Headquarters in Derbyshire, England and have a European office in Malaga, Spain within the EU.

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