High Sheriff of Derbyshire Recognises Acres Engineering for Community Impact
On Monday, we were honoured to welcome Sir Richard FitzHerbert, the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, to our Melbourne headquarters as he presented Acres Engineering with a Certificate of Commendation for Community Engagement through Engineering. The award celebrates the 10th anniversary of our People First Pledge — a commitment that has shaped who we are and how we work for the past decade.
A Decade of Putting People First
Ten years ago, we made a simple but powerful promise: to put people at the heart of everything we do. As a growing SME in Melbourne, Derbyshire, we recognised early on that long-term success isn’t defined purely by the products we manufacture, but by how we invest in the individuals and communities who make that success possible.
Since then, our People First Pledge has guided how we support employees, apprentices, veterans, interns, clients, suppliers, and our wider community. It has influenced our culture, our decision-making, and the way we approach engineering as a force for good.
You can read more about the last decade of our People First journey on our blog:
https://acres.engineering/blog/employee-fun/celebrating-10-years-of-putting-people-first-at-acres-engineering/
A Memorable Visit and Factory Tour
After presenting the commendation, Sir Richard toured our facilities, taking great interest in the wide range of projects underway. He met many of our team members and apprentices, engaging with them about their training experiences and discussing the skills needed to support Derbyshire’s thriving engineering sector.
During the visit, Sir Richard also shared the fascinating history behind the ancient role of High Sheriff — an independent, non-political Royal appointment with responsibilities dating back over a thousand years. He explained the symbolism of the formal court dress, which our staff especially enjoyed learning about.
Sir Richard’s Reflections
Speaking after the visit, Sir Richard commented:
“I was delighted to visit Acres Engineering at their base in Melbourne. The works were busy with a plethora of projects on the go and I was lucky to see several of the completed fabrications about to be shipped out both nationally and abroad. Acres embrace an apprentice programme that is well versed for the local workforce and their efforts were suitably applauded with a Make UK Award for Manufacturing Impact. Another super visit in my shrieval year that celebrates all that is great in our county of Derbyshire.”
A Proud Moment for the Acres Team
Luke Parker, Managing Director at Acres Engineering, added:
“It’s a real honour to have the High Sheriff recognise our commitment to community and engineering. The People First Pledge has been a driving force for us, and it’s great to see it celebrated after 10 years. Sir Richard’s visit was a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase what we do and the team behind it. During the visit Sir Richard explained the history behind the role of High Sheriff and explained each aspect of the formal court dress which the staff found extremely enjoyable and informative.”
Looking Ahead
We are incredibly proud of this recognition and grateful to Sir Richard for taking the time to visit our team. As we look to the future, we remain committed to championing people, developing skills, supporting our community, and driving innovation through engineering.
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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.
Find out more about where we have been and what we have been up to by checking out our latest blog posts.
Take a look at how we support of the Armed Forces, STEM/Schools and Charities.
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