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Getting to know Cairnhill
The specialist engineering and steel solutions businesss, Cairnhill were announced as the Official Somerset CCC training wear partner in 2024, and it was a first season to remember as Somerset competed for silverware on all three fronts.
Based in Scotland, the multi-faceted business work in varying fields including oil, gas, nuclear defence and security, and have built a substantial reputation over the last 40 years specialising in taking products from concept to manufacture.
Group Chief Executive, Neil Watson, explained that since the company was officially formed in 1973, sport has been a large part of their success.
“We are an engineering family business based in Scotland,” he explained. “But we cover extensively across the UK on high-profile projects and over my 25 years at the company things have grown significantly. Of course, over a long period of time, we have built up a strong connection with grassroots sports.”
It was working at Hinkley Point that the company became more aware of Somerset CCC’s standing in the South West.
As well as Somerset CCC’s on field success, it was the Club’s community engagement work that also proved a big factor in their decision to partner with the 2023 Vitality Blast champions, as Neil explained.
“One of the reasons we got involved with Somerset CCC was down to the community involvement at the Club,” he said. “Sponsoring the training kit was a development from our initial interest, but it made complete sense to take that step as it was such a natural fit for us.
“We are a family-firm and joining a club with a family-feel makes sense.”
Cairnhill already have existing links across other sports, involving themselves with teams from the worlds of football, skiing and rugby, where their partnerships with clubs such as London Scottish have proven successful.
Alongside their ongoing work within grassroots sports, Neil and his team have ensured their community outreach has been maximised after extending their reach into work with charities and local schools, with the hope of inspiring the next generation into the engineering industry.
“We have company ambassadors who get out into the community and schools, encouraging young people and females into the industry because there isn’t currently enough diversity in construction.
“We do a variety of different things in the community such as providing renewable kits for children that they can put together in classrooms, or we try and get young people in to visit us and walk around our sites and find out more about us.”
Now recognised as one of the leading construction and engineering manufacturers in the UK, the business has built a sustainable blueprint for the future that has seen Cairnhill almost triple in staff size after starting off with around 50 employees and now employing almost 150 people.
Regarding the partnership, Neil and his team are very keen to ensure that progress is made both on and off the pitch at The Cooper Associates County Ground, and he believes that both parties can benefit from working more closely with one another.
“Our ambition with Somerset is to hopefully educate some youngsters in the area about engineering and enlighten them a bit on how the future looks,” he said. “We also want to learn a few things from the Club about engaging with the community as well as elite sport and performing in high-pressure environments.”
