Forgemasters donates film location fee to charity

6th June 2019

Sheffield's most iconic engineering company, Sheffield Forgemasters, has pledged a film location fee to charity in memory of a former employee.

The company has donated £2,500 to Weston Park Cancer Charity in memory of retired Melt Shop refractories manager, Nigel Hobson from Stanington, who died just a matter of months after retirement from a heart complication, following successful cancer treatment. Sheffield Forgemasters recently hosted a national film agency, which used the company's Melt Shop as location for a Ford commercial vehicles advert, and requested that a charitable donation should be made in memory of Nigel, instead of the normal location fee. John Hepworth, reliability engineer in the Melt Shop, said: -I was lucky enough to work with Nigel for more than 11 years and it is fantastic that the management here has pledged this money to support the incredible work that is done for cancer patients at Weston Park Hospital and to commemorate Nigel's life. Nigel died at the age of 62, having retired from Forgemasters in July 2018 after 14 years of service and had been diagnosed with cancer just prior to his retirement. He had previously been treated for cancer at Weston Park Hospital in 1994 and underwent further treatment at the hospital in 2018. John added: -Nigel was a very affable man and he had an extended family in Belgium who he saw often. It was testament to his popularity that so many people came to the chapel for his funeral, that they couldn't all fit in! Nigel Hobson worked as a steel maker at Forgemasters for a number of years, but also studied for his qualification in chemical engineering as a mature student, spending his last six years at the company working as refractories manager. "We are delighted that Sheffield Forgemasters has kindly chosen to make a charitable donation to Weston Park Cancer Charity in memory of Nigel." Sam Dixon, CEO at Weston Park Cancer Charity, said: "Our vision as a charity is to help create a better life for everyone affected by cancer, both now and in the future, and with the generous support of Sheffield Forgemasters, we can continue to give patients and their families access to the very best cancer care services. "Money raised in lieu of the location fee will directly benefit cancer patients across our region through projects which provide practical help to those in need, emotional support to those in despair and enhanced care for those who need it most." Nigel's widow, Karen, joined staff at Forgemasters as they presented the cheque to Weston Park Cancer Charity.