A YORK family firm that has seen its work unveiled by royalty including the Queen herself is celebrating its first decade in business.

Rawcliffe-based Andrews Signs and engraves was launched by husband and wife duo James and Jill Andrews in 2008, and has gone on to have its brass plaques unveiled by the Queen, the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Anne among other high profile names.

Alongside producing commemorative brass plaques, the like of which are unveiled at ceremonial openings of places like hospitals and universities, the business, which is hoping to double in size over the next ten years, also specialises in industrial signage and engraved labels, which attracts the largest bulk of its turnover.

With no signs of demand decreasing, the duo have recently invested in new advanced engraving machinery.

Mrs Andrews said: “This machine is much faster, cleaner and more accurate than doing it by hand, and it means we can increase our capacity and cater for more difficult and intricate jobs that use a wider variety of materials that weren’t available to us before.

“We outgrew our offices in Stockton-on-Forest and had to move to larger premises here in Rawcliffe, York, in 2015.

“Since then, the business has continued to grow year on year, so we will again be moving to larger premises in the near future.

“We are very excited at what the future holds for us, and our aim is to have doubled again in size within the next 10 years.”

Andrews services the utility sectors, engineering and manufacturing facilities, sports stadiums, concert arenas, and office blocks, and also offshore. For example, when an engineer opens an electrical or telecommunications junction box to fix a problem, they will know what’s what inside the box thanks to engraved signage often supplied by Andrews.

Mr Andrews said: “You’ll see our work on board ferries and ships, including the Royal Navy fleet.

“Other well-known institutions that feature Andrews signage include the BBC, London Underground, the NHS, Network Rail, Siemens and the grounds of premiership football clubs, such as Manchester City and Sunderland.”

In honour of their roots in York, the Andrews Signs team also makes an effort to works with the local community, whether it be with local football clubs, schools or businesses, providing ten years of expertise in trophies, signage, banners and shop fronts.