Rembering a Lifetime of Service

Remembering a Lifetime of Service

For Ulster Carpets, news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II resonated strongly.

This year the Portadown-based company had the privilege of being awarded a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty the Queen – one of only three companies in Northern Ireland to hold the honour.

Ulster Carpets also manufactured a specially commissioned rug as part of the Northern Ireland’s Offi ce’s Platinum Jubilee design competition.

Nick Coburn CBE, Group Managing Director of Ulster Carpets, said:

“We were saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her devotion to duty and commitment to the nation remain an inspiration.

“This year we were proud to have been granted a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty the Queen. This achievement was the result of several years of dedicated work by our staff and it further underpins the huge success and progression of Ulster Carpets.

“We also had the honour of manufacturing a specially commissioned rug on behalf of the children of Northern Ireland to mark the momentous milestone of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. It was a privilege to have been asked by the Northern Ireland Offi ce to be part of this competition.”

Ulster Carpets can also trace a link between its founder, George Walter Wilson, and the Queen.

In 1949 Mr Wilson had the privilege of escorting the then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh around an exhibition at the King’s Hall in Belfast that was organised by the Ulster Industries Development Association.

Edward Wilson, former Group Chairman at Ulster Carpets, recalled his father’s memories of the visit:

“Despite all the pressures of work at the time, my father evidently enjoyed this experience. He found the young Princess rather shy and quiet but the Duke of Edinburgh, as one would expect of a young naval offi cer, provided some of the much needed humour and light relief for which he later became well known.”

Looking ahead, Ulster Carpets would welcome a return visit by King Charles II. In 2016, the company welcomed the then Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to its Portadown headquarters.

“That was a momentous day for Ulster Carpets and we would be delighted to welcome King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, back to Portadown in the future,” said Nick Coburn.

George Walter Wilson, founder of Ulster Carpets (far left), escorts the then Princess Elizabeth around an exhibition at the King’s Hall in Belfast in 1949.

Nick Coburn, Group Managing Director, and Joyce McIvor, Contract Sales Director for UK and Ireland, mark the news that Ulster Carpets has been granted a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty The Queen.

The then Princess Elizabeth is escorted around an exhibition at the King’s Hall, Belfast by George Walter Wilson, founder of Ulster Carpets.

Nick Coburn, Group Managing Director, Ulster Carpets (left) and Robert Grant, Senior Executive Carpet Manufacturing, Ulster Carpets, guide the then Duchess of Cornwall and the then Prince of Wales around their manufacturing facilities during a visit in 2016.

www.ulstercarpets.com

LEADING THE TRANSFORMATION IN TRANSPORT

By Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive.

The need for change is clear – taken together, all forms of transport accounted for 27% of the UK’s total emissions in 2019. In Northern Ireland, transport represents over 20% of all emissions and over 35% of all energy used. Emissions from transport are actually on the increase here due to the increases in car usage, despite technological advances and a shift towards Zero Emission vehicles. Recent research indicates that while overall emissions in Northern Ireland have decreased by 18% since 1990, transport-based emissions have increased by 22% in the same period, which should be a cause for concern for all.

We all must take responsibility for a modal shift away from the private car to sustainable transport, at least for some of our journeys. A greater focus on bus and rail travel, coupled with investment in active travel, will reduce emissions and deliver improvements in air quality, public health, economic, rural and urban development, social cohesion and safer communities for all.

Translink’s recently published ‘Better. Connected’ strategy outlines our plans to make public transport your fi rst choice for travel, today for tomorrow and to do that, we want to lead the transformation of transport in Northern Ireland.

Translink is making strong progress in this already – we have concrete plans to halve our emissions by 2030, by which year we will also have delivered a fully Net Zero bus fl eet in Belfast; move our entire bus and rail network to Zero Emission technologies by 2040; and achieve Climate Positive status by 2050.

We operate over 12,000 bus and rail services on a daily basis, and the ongoing shift to Zero Emission technologies will be revolutionary. We are on course to make history in Derry~Londonderry with the introduction of a fully Net Zero urban bus fl eet during 2023, and we’re currently taking delivery of 100 locallybuilt Zero Emission double deck buses, both battery electric and hydrogen, for use on the Belfast Metro network.

The shift to Net Zero also impacts on the NI Railways network – we have now introduced all 21 of our new intermediate train carriages, allowing us to convert seven of the existing fl eet of Class 4000 trains into six-car walkthrough sets. Working with a range of stakeholders, we are progressing work towards the electrifi cation of the railway line, the procurement of bi-modal train sets, development and enhancement of the fl agship Enterprise service and its frequency and are participating fully in the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which we expect to report in the coming months. We will also continue to deliver enhancements to our railway network to improve frequency, reliability and effi ciency, as well as across our wide estate of buildings, stations, halts, shelters and Park and Ride facilities.

Ultimately, Connecting Communities is Translink’s main purpose, and it is important that the shift to Zero Emission technology is accompanied by investment in our facilities and infrastructure in order to make public transport even more attractive, and this includes active travel options. We will continue to work with key stakeholders, including DfI, local Councils, the Public Health Agency and Sustrans, to improve the integration of public transport and active travel.

Work on the NI Executive fl agship Belfast Grand Central Station project is continuing at pace, and is on course to be fully complete in 2025, providing greatly enhanced bus and rail capacity across Northern Ireland. We will also deliver Weavers Cross, a transport-led regeneration project and key driver of economic growth, in the longer term. On our bus network, we will work with DfI and Councils to extend bus priority lanes in urban centres and on main approaches, as well as work to deliver the planned Glider phase 2, which is intended to connect north and south Belfast via the city centre and complement the highly successful east-west and Titanic Quarter Glider link.

The challenge ahead is a signifi cant one, but Translink is fully prepared for it – public transport, and an associated modal shift, is vital to addressing Climate Change and the future success of society in Northern Ireland. Our ‘Better. Connected’ strategy sets out an ambitious roadmap for the years ahead and, with a clear focus on climate action and air quality, sustainability is placed at the heart of Translink’s decision making.

Public transport brings people and communities together, creating opportunities and choices, which will be vital to the social, economic and environmental success of Northern Ireland.

Find out more at www.translink.co.uk