In 1971, 16-year-old David Torr from Stalybridge got his first job at a lightning company called Moorlite. Beginning his indenture there as a sheet metal worker, he earned 41 pence an hour.

The Moorlite site on Oxford Street caught fire in 1977, at exactly 10 to 10 in the morning by David’s recollection. Their new company premises were built on Burlington Street in Ashton.

This was good news for David, as an avid snooker player he could nip next door to the Greyhound Pub for a game.

His brothers, Sam and Dennis, worked and played alongside him. Together, they made up part of the Moorlite FC team.

In the 1990s, David met his wife, Debra, and they moved from his birthplace of Carrbrook to Ashton, having two sons.

Moorlite became Whitecroft Lighting in 1997 and is still known by this name today. David got his start there as a sheet metal worker, but became a grinder, welder, and finally, a fabricator.

The team at Whitecroft held a presentation for David on recently to mark his 50 years with the company.

Balloons filled the office and he received a special award, a steel sculpture in the shape of a welder. A Covid-safe lunch was also enjoyed in the canteen.

David is the first employee to reach 50 years at Whitecroft. In honour of the title, they’ve given him an extra week’s holiday and paid for flights to Thailand, so David can surprise his brother, Sam, who has retired in Chiang Mai.

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