Keybury Fire & Security marked its landmark 30th anniversary with a celebration lunch for customers, suppliers and staff.

Managing director Frank Gee outlined the history, development and diversification of the Keighley-based company, which now has five regional offices across West and North Yorkshire, a customer base approaching 11,000 and almost 50 staff.

“Partnering with people has been key to the success of the business. We work in partnership with our customers and also our staff. By going that extra mile with our own people, they in turn go that extra mile on behalf of our customers,” he said.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Dale Smith, and the Lady Mayoress, Mrs Margaret Smith, were among the guests. Coun Smith congratulated the company on 30 years of successful trading and its work within the community, notably sponsorship of the Keybury Football Youth League, established in 1993.

Guest speaker was the BBC’s news and sports presenter Harry Gration, who on the exact day of the function, held at the Craiglands Hotel, Ilkley, said he was himself celebrating the 30th anniversary of his first-ever BBC Look North television broadcast.

Founded in 1982 by Frank Gee and his wife Tricia – “she has been the driving force behind our success,” noted Mr Gee – Keybury has installed more than 11,000 security systems in homes and businesses across Yorkshire.

Following and in response to the Fire Safety Order legislation in 2006, Keybury introduced a fire division headed up by director David Lalor, who was MC at the anniversary dinner, while Keybury has also strengthened its national footprint through the company’s ground-breaking work in the UK shopping centre, water utilities and energy sectors.

It developed and introduced an emergency communication system for shopping centres that is now operational at 60 major centres across the country, also conceiving and creating an anti-terrorist detection system now installed at over 500 water reservoir locations throughout the UK.

The company’s latest venture is Simplicity Energy Management, purposely developed for the UK education sector. It issues alerts when schools and other educational establishments are wasting energy.

The system also incorporates specialist educational software and interactive games that are used as powerful educational tools, allowing schoolchildren and young people to learn important lifeskills in conserving energy.

Keybury remains one of the region’s longest established independent family-run fire and security companies, and was one of the first in the area to achieve National Security Inspectorate (NSI) top tier Gold installer accreditation.

The firm, which has regional offices in Skipton, Ilkley, Harrogate and York, has an annual turnover in excess of £2.5 million.

To mark its 30th anniversary, Keybury Fire and Security is running a competition inviting people to submit their favourite piece of technology invented over the past three decades. An iPad awaits the winner and entries can be made via facebook.com/keybury

Pictured at the 30th anniversary dinner with guest speaker Harry Gration, third from left, are, from left, Keybury directors Karen Gee, David Lalor, Patrick Beebe, Tricia Gee and Frank Gee.

Pictured at the 30th anniversary dinner with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Bradford, Councillor Dale and Mrs Margaret Smith, are, from left, directors Tricia Gee, Karen Gee, David Lalor, Patrick Beebe and Frank Gee.

When Harry met Keybury’s Sally!