Acorn is proud of its Yorkshire roots

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Did you know that this Sunday is recognised in the UK as Yorkshire Day?

The annual event originally began as a military holiday but today it has grown into a celebration for everyone to enjoy and is designed to encourage people to spend time in one of our most beautiful counties.

Anyone who is familiar with Acorn Analytical Services will know that we have a thriving presence in London, Northampton and Birmingham but were you aware that our company began life in Yorkshire?

Back in 2000 the company was launched in Leeds as an Asbestos Consultancy Testing Laboratory. The following year it gained UKAS accreditation for testing and by 2004 it had extended its UKAS accreditation and become a Type C Inspection Body.

In 2013, Acorn expanded its capability with the opening of our Southern office based in Northampton. 

Our London, Northampton and Birmingham offices are led by directors Ian Stone, Neil Munro and Paul Knights. Neil focusses on overseeing all sales, marketing and financial activities and assisting clients with high-level asbestos management strategies and training.

Alongside Ian, he hosts Acorn’s regular podcasts, Asbestos Knowledge Empire, and the duo also wrote our two best-selling books ‘Asbestos The Dark Arts’ and ‘Fear and Loathing of Health and Safety’.

Ian also regularly travels to meet with new and existing clients and has assisted thousands of clients over the years on projects of all sizes – including several schemes which have totalled more than £5million spending purely on asbestos management. 

Paul focuses on UKAS accreditation and compliance, overseeing Acorn’s Integrated Management System and ensuring we comply with our wide variety of ISO accreditations and certification. Paul also looks after some of Acorn’s largest corporate and public sector clients.

Thanks to strong leadership in Leeds and Northampton both teams moved into larger offices in 2015 and 2016 respectively to cope with a growing demand for their services and their growing workforce.

Since 2017 we have opened new offices in London and Birmingham and the Leeds office has had to move to even larger premises to accommodate our expanding team.

We have also become ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified and won awards for our innovative work practices. 

Acorn has come a long way since it launched in 2000 but it remains a fully independent and impartial company – with no links or interests with contractors – which means our clients can be confident that the recommendations they receive from us will always be in their best interests.

This is one of the many reasons that clients choose to form long-term relationships and why we have built up such an enviable reputation in the asbestos industry. 

Clients also know they can trust us because our management team has more than 100 years of combined experience of delivering asbestos accredited services which they freely share with the younger members of our organisation. 

The reality is that it can be extremely difficult to find high calibre asbestos consultants in the UK but asbestos is not a problem that is going to go away any time soon.

The UK’s heavy reliance on asbestos as a building material during the second half of the 20th century means that many of our homes, workplaces, schools, hospitals and other public buildings still contain the deadly substance.

This is why we are passionate about making sure all our staff receive the training they need to carry out their roles to the highest standards. It also explains why we’re committed to developing the next generation of asbestos consultants. We’re very proud to say we’ve taken on many trainees who have gone on to become highly qualified asbestos consultants and are out there on the frontline helping organisations to manage their asbestos risks, saving them from crippling fines and protecting people’s lives.

We can honestly say our team is made up of talented experts who love their work and do everything they can to be available to our clients when they need them. We’re only a quick call away and are always happy to offer advice, support and guidance. So, if you need help managing your asbestos professionally and efficiently contact us today and see for yourselves why Acorn has grown so rapidly.

Acorn is a professional asbestos consultancy helping organisations deal with asbestos compliance using asbestos surveysasbestos air testing, and asbestos removal management. Please call one of the team, or use the online form to obtain your free quotation. If you would like further information or advice on asbestos and asbestos training, contact the team on 0844 818 0895 or Contact Us

Ian Stone

I am based out of our Northampton office but regularly travel to meet with new and existing clients. I have assisted thousands of clients over the years on varying-sized projects, several have been schemes totalling over one million pounds spent purely on asbestos. Together with Neil Munro, I host our weekly podcast – Asbestos Knowledge Empire and I am Co-author of Asbestos The Dark Arts and Fear and Loathing of Health and Safety.

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