Put out more flags - loyal workers delay their hols

LOYAL employees of a Huntingdonshire flag-making company can now start to think about taking their summer holidays – but they may have to delay a little longer before taking them.

Staff at Kimbolton’s The House of Flags have been working overtime for months fulfilling orders for flags and bunting in time for this week’s Jubilee celebrations, which generated a 25 per cent increase in sales compared with the same time last year.

HoF Display Solutions, as it now styles itself, has seen sales of bunting alone increase by almost �200,000 compared with the same period last year.

Bunting has been bought by a variety of companies from large retail stores across the UK to companies dressing the river for the Thames River Pageant and even individuals hosting small street parties. A massive 650 miles of bunting has been produced to meet demand – that amount would stretch from Land’s End to Inverness, the firm says.

But the influx of work has meant that the machinists and print management team have had to work longer days as well as weekends to meet the demand.

Managing director Donna Geranio explained: “In December last year we started discussions about annual leave and where, if possible, holidays could be taken after the end of May. The good thing about having a fantastic, loyal team of operational staff is that they have pulled out all of the stops to fulfil our customers’ requirements.”

National sales manager Sandra Anley was delighted with the increased demand for the Jubilee. “We have made an incredible amount of bunting as well as Union Jack and Jubilee flags.

“There has been a real buzz around the factory and offices with everyone in the sales team adopting a can-do approach by starting earlier each day and finishing later to handle all of the enquiries.”

But the flag-makers are now diverting their efforts to fulfilling demand for the Euro 2012 football championships later this month in Poland and Ukraine and then for the Olympics and Paralympics before they can really wind down.

HoF Display Solutions has been running for over 30 years, having started as a flag-making company in Eaton Socon.

The company was chosen to produce flags for 11 of the bridges along the River Thames for the pageant event, as well as dressing buildings along the pageant path.

Many of the same companies have already commissioned HoF to re-dress the bridges and buildings in preparation for the Olympics in July.