Ruth Lee Ltd
“It’s been a fantastic journey; long may it continue” – Ruth Lee. The words of the company founder describe a story of humble beginnings and old-fashioned entrepreneurship, followed by a recent transformation into a dynamic, rapidly growing organisation where innovation lies at the heart of its success. Located in the beautiful Dee Valley, its tranquil location belies the innovative nature of Ruth Lee. Over the last 30 years the company has established itself as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of training manikins, used by search, rescue and care professionals in over 50 countries. Key customers include fire and rescue services, military organisations, airports, coastguards, healthcare providers, offshore operators and a multitude of international search and rescue specialists. Back in 2016, Ruth Lee Ltd received a request from a Canadian lifeguard, who was frustrated with the traditional ‘disjointed’ training process, which she felt did not accurately replicate a real rescue. Ruth Lee set about creating a manikin that lifeguards could use to complete a full simulated rescue, and the result was the Pool Rescue manikin, which lifeguards can recover from the bottom of the pool, tow to the side and perform a safe extrication from the water.
Transforming lifeguard training by providing a realistically weighted body.
Creating better skilled lifeguards who are confident in their rescue abilities.
To ensure the manikin would meet the demands of training, and improve current practises, Ruth Lee consulted with the Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS UK) who were able to test and provide feedback on several prototypes before the product was launched at the RLSS Annual Conference in 2018. Since then, Pool Rescue manikins have been used by an estimated 8,000-10,000 lifeguards in 25 countries around the globe to improve their lifesaving skills. The product has been widely promoted at key industry events such as the World Conference on Drowning Prevention; the International Lifesaving Society’s flagship event, with plans to target the US market at the World Waterparks Association Annual Symposium, as well as the National Water
Safety Conference & Association of Aquatic Professionals Conference. Innovation is the heart of Ruth Lee and the company has several exciting projects in the pipeline, which will further enhance their offering and potentially be transformational in the rescue training sector. RUTH LEE LTD Lambert House, Glyndyfrdwy, Denbighshire, LL21 9HW Tel: 01490 413282 • mail@ruthlee.co.uk www.ruthlee.com ruthleeltd @RuthLeeLtd RuthLeeLtd/videos @uthleeltd @ruthleemanikins ruth-lee-ltd
UnityTrust Bank
Zetechtics Ltd
2024 was a significant year for Unity Trust Bank. We celebrated our 40th birthday, surpassed a milestone £1 billion in responsible lending, and were awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development.
North Yorkshire-based Zetechtics Ltd specialises in the design and manufacture of subsea control equipment for the global offshore energy industry. Zetechtics Ltd is a leading manufacturer in this industry, and the staff were honoured to receive a second royal recognition in 2024.
The award recognised Unity’s support to over 10,000 customers who address social, economic and environmental needs as well as the bank’s own commitment to delivering responsible business practices. Since then, Unity has strengthened its impact proposition further. We launched our Unity Impact Grants programme and awarded six customers £5,000 for projects delivering positive social impact. This year, £50,000 will be split between 10 charitable organisations.
Zetechtics was established by Tim Overfield in 1993 with the cutting-edge design of the Jupiter Subsea Control System. The product received royal recognition in 2003 (Innovation), and we are proud to be able to display the emblem for this prestigious award once again (International Trade) following a 2,000% increase in overseas sales over a six-year period. Tim said: “This is a fantastic accolade for Zetechtics Ltd and one that we are extremely proud of. Our team’s hard work and dedication throughout this period of growth,
Unity Trust Bank CEO Colin Fyfe; Lord-Lieu- tenant of the West Midlands His Majesty’s personal representative Derrick Anderson CBE; Unity Trust Bank Chairman Alan Hughes.
We have doubled our Retrofit Transition Initiative (RTI) to £50m, supporting housing associations and funding improvements to properties to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs. In collaboration with GroundWorks, we’re also supporting organisations to identify decarbonisation activities and contribute towards the UK target to achieve net zero by 2050. We’ve also announced our own commitment to reach net zero by 2045 with a critical focus on ‘Just Transition’.
Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner & Tim Overfield (Chairman)
leading to this recognition, has been immense. Being based rurally does not prevent a business from being global facing, and we are truly grateful to all our customers around the UK and worldwide.”
ZETECHTICS LTD Main Street, Amotherby, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 6TA Tel: +44 (0)1653 602020 • sales@zetechtics.com • zetechtics.com @jupitercontrol zetechtics-limited
UNITYTRUST BANK Four Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2JB Tel: 0345 140 1000 • us@unity.co.uk • Unity.co.uk
@jupitersubseacontrolsystem
www. kingsawardsmagazine .com
132
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease