Chas. A. Blatchford & Sons Ltd were today announced winners of a 2010 Queen’s Award for Innovation. “We are doubly proud of winning our 4th Queen’s Award this year, since it is also the 120th anniversary of the founding of the company by my great grandfather!” says Stephen Blatchford, shareholder and CEO.

Throughout the 120 years Blatchford has maintained a continuous relationship, directly with the people who use artificial limbs. In the UK we supply over 30% of all amputees seem by the NHS, with additional numbers in other countries. This interaction directs all of our design and manufacturing activities and ensures that we remain focused on the end user of our products. Our continuous record of prosthetic service also means that those amputees we are fitting who are now in their 20s, we will see through to their 80s. We have a personal commitment to each of these individuals, to ensure that the artificial limbs we supply now will support healthy and opportunity filled lives, that we can all celebrate as we work together through the years.

Blatchford is recognised internationally as a leader in Artificial Limb Technology and in the UK has been awarded more than 30% of all NHS contracts to supply artificial limbs to British amputees. In addition Blatchford provides the prosthetics service to injured soldiers for the Ministry of Defence at the Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre. These clinics give a direct link to the people using the Endolite range of products engineered by Blatchford and the interaction informs the design process, indeed design engineers from the company continuously test prototypes for new feet and knees on amputees in the clinics. Soldiers on the latest Endolite components are now returning to frontline duty.