A ROYAL visitor is coming to Middlewich.
The Duke of Kent is celebrating the 50th anniversary of British Salt and officially opening a new £600,000 automated packing line.
In the 50 years since its launch, British Salt has grown to become one of the UK’s leading salt producers, having manufactured more than 30 million tonnes of salt.
The Duke will be greeted by Lord Lieutenant David Briggs and directors of the company.
The party will then take a tour of the site, culminating in the official opening of the new high-speed packing line.
Afterwards British Salt is hosting a community spirited afternoon tea.
The Duke will meet some current British Salt employees including apprentices, pupils from St Mary’s and Cledford primary schools, representatives from local charities and local dignitaries.
Stephen Crabb, head of operations at British Salt said: "We’re delighted to be celebrating our 50th anniversary in such good company.
"We’ve long been a major employer in the area and it’s important to us that the Duke has the opportunity to meet the community who all help to make British Salt the special company that we’re proud to be a part of.’’
More than 60 retired employees attend a coffee morning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of British Salt
The event is the latest in a series of anniversary celebrations, including a coffee morning attended by more than 60 retired employees - several of whom worked on the site in 1969 at its launch.
One member of the original team, Bill Monaghan, now 91 and still living in Middlewich showed The Duke of Edinburgh the salt drying process when he opened the plant in 1969.
Bill and his daughter, Dr Suna Monaghan have been invited to the royal visit on Tuesday.
Underpinning its anniversary celebrations is a strong sense of optimism and future growth for British Salt.
Acquired by Tata Chemicals Europe in 2011, the business has invested £25 million in improvements to the site since 2015 and the high-speed pack line is the latest project to be completed.
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Earlier this year, the company unveiled a £7.2 million investment in a new, best-in-class energy efficient boiler plant, designed to generate heat and electricity for the company’s 24-hour production process.
The new British Salt boiler plant represents the largest single investment in the company since its inception. Scheduled to become operational in March 2020 it will be key to the success of a secure energy supply for British Salt.
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