A1 Flues
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Paddy retires after 38 years at A1

Paddy White – who was one of the first people to join A1 – is retiring after 38 years’ service.

During his time, Paddy has overseen the installation of flue and chimney systems in some of the UK’s most iconic buildings, including Buckingham Palace and The Shard. He’s also installed systems at most of the UK’s major sporting venues, including the Millennium Stadium, Twickenham Stadium and the Emirates Stadium.

Having turned 65 years old, he said it’s time to slow down after starting as the only installer for the Ollerton-based company and being promoted to the position of managing a team of 19 installers across the UK.

“I’ve had a good a life at A1 installing flue systems on some of the most famous buildings in Britain, and I’ve met some great people along the way,” he said. “I’ve worked on projects at Manchester United and Liverpool and have met all the players; I’ve travelled right across the UK and Ireland – often working 80–90 hours a week – and I’ve loved every minute of it.

“I’ll miss everyone at A1 because I’ve been part of something that has snowballed into such a big company, and I’m very proud of that.”

Of all the celebrities he has met whilst working for A1, Paddy says former boxer Frank Bruno is the one that always springs to mind because he is such a gentleman.

Everyone at A1 Flue Systems will miss Paddy, according to our Director John Hamnett – especially his “Paddyisms” of getting well-known phrases completely wrong.

“Killing one bird with two stones is a legendary one that everyone at A1 quotes,” said John, who A1 straight from school at 16 years old and said that Paddy took him under his wing.

“Paddy taught me the ropes and gave me an invaluable grounding in the industry over the years,” he said. “I’ve seen first-hand how he’s brought on all our installers, and we have an installation team that is the envy of the industry because we have such a depth of experience and practical understanding that we can apply to the most challenging projects. We want to thank Paddy for everything, and we’ll really miss him about the place.”

Paddy is looking forward to spending more time with his beloved granddaughter, as well as more time in the garden and fishing.