PREVIEW

One of the gritters keeping the roads clear this Christmas will be bringing festive cheer as it de-ices the highways this festive season.

That’s because Econ Engineering has partnered with a famous knitting group near its North Yorkshire base to create a giant Christmas jumper and hat for one of its vehicles.

The Christmas jumper, thought to be one of the biggest ever created, has been handcrafted by volunteers from the Ripon Community Poppy Project to spread a little joy this festive season as ‘Goldie the Gritter’ embarks on a 900 mile tour of the UK visiting schools located near Econ’s regional depots ahead of winter.

Jonathan Lupton, Managing Director at Econ, said: “At Econ, we have a long history of supporting community projects so were delighted to partner with the talented volunteers at the Ripon Community Poppy Project to spread some extra joy this Christmas.”

Built to commemorate Econ’s 50th anniversary in 2019, Goldie was designed with the latest gritting technology and has travelled the country not only training gritter drivers but also engaging with schools through educational visits.

Lupton added: “Our gritter vehicles and their drivers are the unsung heroes of winter, so it’s been fantastic to celebrate our mission to keep the nation’s roads safe and moving by giving Goldie the Gritter her first jumper and hat to wear ahead of our busy winter season.”

Adorned with colourful festive patterns, Goldie the Gritter’s giant jumper and hat have been designed to keep her warm as Econ embarks on another busy season keeping Britain’s roads moving.

Measuring 32ft by 28ft, the creation is one of the Ripon Community Poppy Project’s biggest yet, taking 35 volunteers a total of 4,500 hours over the last 12 months to create using 1,130 balls of wool.

Formed in 2017, the Ripon Community Poppy Project is well known for commemorating remembrance and other national events with their knitted poppies and other projects, and every Monday host a Knit and Natter group which brings together people aged from 30 to 90 from across the community.

Stuart Martin MBE, Chairman of the Ripon Community Poppy Project, said: “Creating this jumper and hat for Goldie the Gritter has been such a joy for our volunteers. It's been wonderful to see Goldie in her new outfit and we hope she brings lots of joy to the schools she visits on her tour of the UK.”

Econ Engineering has been manufacturing winter and road maintenance vehicles at its factory in Ripon since 1969. It also has depots in Sowerby, Alloa, Cardiff and Halesworth, offering maintenance services to ensure its vehicles are always ready to go when it snows.