A COOKLEY man has celebrated 50 years of service to one company.

Steve Arnold, 65, started working for Titan Steel Wheels, in Bridge Road, as a 15-year-old apprentice and has built his entire working career around the village manufacturers.

Mr Arnold said: “It’s a strange thing to work at the same company for 50 years and I can’t believe where the years have gone.

“The time has passed remarkably quickly.

“It’s a great place to work as I’ve always been fascinated by the product itself, because from an engineering standpoint, wheels are quite unique.”

Before carrying out his current role as the director of engineering, Mr Arnold has had various jobs and roles at the firm and for the last 25 years has been involved in product design.

Chris Akers, managing director, said Mr Arnold is an integral part of the company’s development and has played the leading role in developing several new products.

One of those products was a mobile crane wheel for which the company received a Queens Award for innovation in 2008.

Mr Arnold said: “The crane wheels were quite difficult to create as we needed to make them as light and accurate as possible as they are travelling up to speeds of 80 to 90kmh on the motorway.

“It was quite good to win the award as we never expected it.

“We got the chance to go to Buckingham Palace where, at the award ceremony, we met the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

“After the awards there was a reception with a few drinks and nibbles where we were able to speak to quite a few other members of the royal family.”

As well as spending his entire working life in Cookley, Mr Arnold has also lived in the village for most of his life.

He attended Cookley Sebright Primary School and is now there raising his three sons, Craig, Lee and Drew, with his wife Diane.

Mr Arnold added: “It’s a lovely place to live as within two minutes of travelling either way you are in the countryside.”

Now in his 51st year with the company, Mr Arnold is still working on new and innovative products and his co-workers hope he will grant them another 50 "fantastic" years.