The boss of a mechanical and electrical building services company has commended the “work ethic” of the town as he looks to expand the business.

The Parr Group, which has offices in Little Hulton, has been growing during the coronavirus pandemic, after securing what is set to be a “substantial” maintenance contract with Co-op stores and funeral homes up and down the country in February.

These contracts are set to be worth in the region of £2m for the company.

On the back of this Parr are looking for at least 10 new people to join the team, including electricians, gas engineers and joiners.

Ivan Morley, facilities management director of Parr group, who has lived in Bolton for 27 years and helped set up Parr group’s base in Little Hulton five years ago, says it’s very exciting times for the company.

He said: “We’ve picked up a lot of work with a lot of clients, starting with the Co-op and then Bupa recently.

“We’re now at the stage where we are busier than ever so we’re very keen to start getting new workers through the door and finding the right people that we know are out there.”

Mr Morley has specifically praised the workers of Bolton, naming it as one of the key reasons for the company going from strength to strength since setting up in Little Hulton.

He said: “All the staff we have taken on over the last four years are from Bolton.

“We’ve never used a recruitment company like many would do to find staff as we know we can find the best ourselves in this town.

“The traders you get of all kinds are here in Bolton and have always done a great job for us.

“We haven’t had to get rid of any staff over lockdown and the work has just been piling up.

“We’ve done a lot of work we’re very proud of too, like helping to keep local care homes maintenance up and running which is good to do during this difficult time.”

The company’s head office is based in Belfast but moved its England-based operations to Little Hulton just over five years ago.

The business is partnered with companies across the UK, travelling around the country to offer services, but Mr Morley stressed he always tries to remember his Bolton roots.

He said: “We chose Bolton for our launch about five years ago and it’s been great to us so we’re wanting to give back to it now as the place that supported us from very little in England to where we are now.

“This is the busiest we have ever been as a company, we’ve taken any staff we had on furlough off it, and now we’re ready to bring in new people for the roles we have.

“We want to work with people across Bolton because we know the work ethic of the people here is second to none.

“All the workers we’ve had from the local area have been brilliant for us and we know there’s more people like that out there.

“Whether experienced tradespeople or even apprentices, the work ethic is always brilliant.

“This will help us integrate even more with the area that has offered us so much,” he added.