To mark its 50th Anniversary, Ainscough Crane Hire in the UK, held a series of celebratory events over a three day period at its Feltham depot in West London and at Leyland depot south of Preston in the north.
Some of the open days were open to employee families and members of the public, with activities including demonstrations and the chance for visitors, including children, to operate cranes and drive large tractor units under supervision.
Three and a half year old Ernie Johnson at the controls of a crane
Ainscough Crane Hire was founded in Wigan, Lancashire, in 1976 by Gerald Ainscough. One of the first cranes he purchased was a five ton ex-RAF Coles EMA mounted on a 6x4 Thornycroft Amazon truck. While Gerald Ainscough died in 1984, the business was built up by his three sons, Martin, James and Brendan, with Martin Ainscough leading as managing director. Martin also took it upon himself to fully restore the first crane his father's first with visitors able to see it during the open day.
The restored Coles EMA crane
During the 1980s, the company expanded across the Northwest, increasing its fleet and opening additional depots as demand grew. In the 1990s and 2000s, Ainscough accelerated its growth through acquisitions, including GWS Crane Hire - itself a merger of GW Sparrows & Sons, JD White and Grayston Crane Hire, along with Coventry Crane Hire and Diamond Crane Hire, helping to build a national depot network. Over time, the business became the UK’s largest crane rental company.
The company displayed some large cranes
Martin, James and Brendan Ainscough now have their names on the front of three of the company's new Liebherr’s - a 300 tonne LTM130-6.3 called Martin, a 110 tonne LTM110-5.2 called Brendan, and James a 90 tonne LTM1090-4.2.
The 110t LTM110-5.2 named Brendan
In 2007, the Ainscough family sold the business in a £255 million management buyout, funded by an integrated debt and equity package from Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance, ending family ownership. It then went through a series of private equity owners until settling down with the current private equity owners GSO - part of Blackstone.
Today, it runs a fleet of around 400 cranes from 30 locations.
A young lad enjoying operating a crane
Chairman Peter Gibbs said: “Reaching our 50th anniversary is a proud moment for everyone at Ainscough, and these open days were the perfect way to mark it alongside the families and communities who have supported us over the years.”
Ernie Johnson in front of a hook block from Ainscough’s 700 tonne Liebherr LR1700 crawler crane
Children visiting also enjoyed ball games and a bouncy castle with a hog roast, ice creams, popcorn, candy floss, soft drinks and slushies.
An Ainscough themed ice cream
Another new crane on show with the special livery was a 60 tonne LTM1060-3.1, which was available for visitors to operate, lifing and place a large rubber duck on a target mat. This task proved very popular with children who were allowed to take the controls under close supervision.
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