The award-winning engineering business Forth, which has one of its three Cumbrian bases in the town of Barrow, has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a £20 million investment in the Barrow Transformation Fund, which is expected to create more than 8,000 career opportunities at BAE Systems, its supply chain and the region’s economy.

Robert Sneesby (pictured), the operations manager at Forth’s Barrow office, said: “There is no doubt that BAE Systems is the hub of the local region and provides employment for a significant portion of that, so it is great to see this being recognised by the highest levels of government. The outputs of this commitment will also be seen through improvements in the town’s infrastructure, as well as increasing the level of work that can be cascaded down to support local SMEs.

“The initiative involves collaboration between the Government and major companies like BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, EDF, and Babcock, and thereby offers potential opportunities for SMEs like Forth to engage in partnerships or supply chain arrangements with larger companies, leading to sub-contracting or service provision opportunities.”

Mark Telford, Forth’s managing director, added: “Our Barrow site already provides valuable support for surrounding businesses, but this funding will leverage many more opportunities for our engineers to contribute to the strength of the North West as a leader in the defence and nuclear industries.

Last year, Forth launched Forth Fabrications in Barrow, a facility that directly supports BAE Systems’ submarine division, alongside the growing industries in the Furness region. “With at least a further £20 million investment projected for the next 10 years, Forth is well-positioned to support the transformation of the region and the country’s ambitions in defence and nuclear.”