A BRADFORD-based joiners and shopfitters is bouncing back from the pandemic with £3 million worth of orders on its books.

Abrahams & Carlisle, based on Newman Street, has a number of upcoming work for hotels across the country as it recovers from the struggles of the last 18 months.

Many of the firm's employees have been on furlough leave as a large proportion of its work was refitting hospitality venues.

The firm work as principal contractors at venues including hotels, stripping out the existing work and refurbishing the hotel's bedrooms and other public areas.

Abrahams & Carlisle also has work lined up in October for sample bedrooms at hotels in Northampton and Nottingham and are in negotiations for further large projects.

But now the company is looking at a bulging order book with projects in the pipeline over the next few months including in York and St Albans.

It has a contract of more than £1m lined up for the refurbishment of The Grange Hotel in York.

Abrahams & Carlisle will also be working on the £1.7m refurbishment project at The Ryder Hotel in St Albans.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Jonathan Hemingway (pictured above), director, who has been with the company for more than 30 years after starting as an apprentice, says the last 18 months has been a tough time for them, but they can now see the signs of recovery.

He said: "It feels good to have these orders lined up, it's a relief. Not just for us, but for everyone else, to be back.

"It's been a tough time. Apart from recessions, this has been the toughest time in our history really.

It's been tough and it's still tough now, but we feel like we're coming out of the other end of it now

"Everybody is employed again with us, which is good.

"We had guys on furlough for us for months and months. We're looking to recruit more.

"A lot of our work was stopped as its with hotels, gyms and health clubs. Generally, work is picking up now.

"We are a nationwide company. We're pricing more work now."

The increased order book means the company is now looking to recruit bench-hand joiners, semi-skilled workshop staff and site joiners.

As it recovers from the pandemic, the site has 48 staff but had between 70 and 80 people on its books before the first lockdown last year.

The company recruited three new apprentices and can now look forward with optimism.

The firm was set up by two joiners in 1952.

Douglas Abrahams and Clifford Carlisle founded the firm in a rented workshop off Manchester Road. One year later they moved to larger premises in Crowther Street and in 1968 the company moved to its current site on Newman Street.

Clifford Carlisle retired in 1972, followed by his co-founder 12 years later.