From apprentice to director - engineering firm boss marks 20 years of innovation
Graham Cartwright, projects director at Forth Engineering, with Managing Director, Mark Telford
Graham Cartwright started at Forth Engineering as a teenager
He was eventually rewarded for his work with a desk - at the bottom of the kitchen
Now as Projects Director he is one of the most influential people at the Cumbria-based firm
One of the most senior figures at a leading Cumbrian engineering firm is preparing to celebrate 20 years of service. Graham Cartwright started at Forth Engineering as an apprentice before climbing the ranks to become a director of the business.
In recent years, he has overseen some of the company’s most innovative projects, and along with managing director Mark Telford, has helped drive an incredible period of growth. Now, as Forth prepares to enter its 25th anniversary year, Graham has reflected on two decades of adventure, enterprise, and hard work.
He said: “I could write a book on my time at Forth; it has been packed with so many stories of innovation, success – and of course, challenges.
“From creating a purpose-built test pond in 10 days to developing a solution to tackle the leak of nuclear waste, we have always found ways to serve our customers.
Graham and members of the Forth team celebrate his work anniversary with a specially made cake
“My whole working life has been at Forth. Mark started as my boss and mentor. He has guided and taught me some tough lessons over the years, and now I’m proud to call him a friend as well as a colleague.”
Graham was on an industry apprenticeship scheme when he secured an interview at Forth with MD Mark. His knowledge on the day meant he was appointed to the role of apprentice, and he spent his early days at Forth’s trade counter.
“I’ll never forget the day a customer asked for a certain type of connector that we didn’t have, so I told him we couldn’t help.
“Mark screamed at me to chase him across the car park and bring him back to the counter. We told him we’d find a way – and we did.
“Mark’s attitude is ‘yes we can’. Chasing that customer across the car park has never left me.”
As Graham’s seniority in the business grew, he was given his first desk – at the bottom of the kitchen – and started to play a more active role in project work and job quotations. The projects Graham has been involved in, and ranks among those he is most proud of, include:
The creation and eventual completion of Forth’s Deep Recovery Facility at Flimby – a major undertaking fraught with technical and financial constraints.
Delivering an innovative solution for Sellafield when a nuclear sump tank was leaking radioactive waste in 2019.
Coming to the rescue of the now-defunct British Energy when Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors at nuclear power stations in Heysham and Hartlepool had to be shut down.
Forth was established by Mark Telford in November 2000 on the site of an old car showroom.
It has grown steadily over the last 24 years, and from its three bases in Flimby, Cleator Moor and Barrowe now delivers cutting-edge engineering solutions to clients such as Sellafield, BAE Systems, EDF, Spirit Energy, Rolls-Royce, and One Subsea.
Mark said: “I work on the principle of what I call Sustainable Employment. We want to create opportunities for people where it does not feel like you are coming to work - instead, it feels like you are enjoying your life.
“Graham embodies sustainable employment. That’s why he’s here 20 years after joining us as an apprentice, and that’s why he became a director of this business.
“If you’re passionate about your work and look forward to what you do each day, it has positive effects - not only for the business but also for the individual.”
