THE Yorkshire Society has launched a plaque scheme to honour firms loyal to the county’s roots.

The group is celebrating Yorkshire’s corporate talent by handing firms a stainless steel plaque to go on display at their sites.

The first plaque was handed to AW Hainsworth, a woollen mill based in Pudsey, last month.

The second will go to Naylor Wintersgill Chartered Accountants, in Grammar School Street, Bradford. It will be an extra honour for the company which marks its centenary this year. This will be officially unveiled at a ceremony, which will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Abid Hussain, on Tuesday, November 14,

A further six plaques are now being made, with one set to be awarded to Emerald Group, a 50-year-old publishing group based in Bingley, and one to cloth and fabric manufacturer JH Clissold, of Dacre Street, Bradford.

Another will go to Grand Central Railway, for the train route which connects the North East of England to London, including a stop at Bradford Interchange.

Now the Yorkshire Society is looking to hear from other companies who may be considered for a plaque to go on display at their premises.

The Yorkshire Society is working with MTL Advanced Ltd, a steel fabrication firm from Rotherham, to produce stainless steel plaques to be erected on the buildings of companies founded and still operating in Yorkshire.

Society chairman Keith Madeley said the idea has caught on with Yorkshire companies since it was announced earlier this year.

He said: “I see it as an ongoing exercise. It has really caught everybody’s imagination. We have put it out there and people have run with it.

“We launched this initiative on Yorkshire Day, August 1, this year.

“The project has really gathered momentum. We want to see them being given out throughout the county, to celebrate Yorkshire corporate talent - we don’t always talk about it.

“They can go to Yorkshire companies founded in the county that are employing people. They don’t have to be 50 or 100 years old or celebrating a milestone.”

The Yorkshire Society, formed in 1980, aims to represent the very best that Yorkshire has to offer for those living, working, visiting or investing in the county. It also generates funds to directly ‘plough back’ into regional and local communities.

Any firms who wish to be considered for a future plaque can email Mr Madeley at keith@mryorkshire.com or call 07831 159800.