THREE generations of a family company in South East Cornwall have been working around the clock to support UK medics in the coronavirus crisis.

Connor Innovations designs and manufactures trolleys for cylinders, outboard motors and beer barrels, as well as other manual handling equipment and specialist items.

From their workshop in Pensilva, they can make bespoke pieces at speed, and they’ve perfected the design for a particular sort of trolley to carry multiple different sizes and types of gas cylinder. It’s by virtue of this fact that Connor Innovations was commissioned by BOC to supply hospitals in various parts of the UK and Ireland.

Their trolleys will be used to ferry medical oxygen cylinders that will help save the lives of COVID-19 patients.

The first order for 100 trolleys for Kent was turned around in under a week – and the Connor family has now seen 500 come off the production line in less than three weeks.

‘There’s only two and a half of us here really,’ jokes Ron Connor, who founded the business 32 years ago. ‘I’m 76 and riddled with arthritis so I’m the office boy. It’s my son John and my grandson Dominic who are working like absolute Trojans.’

The pair have been doing 12-hour days ‘flat out’.

John said: ‘The bulk of the orders are for the bigger trolleys to take the larger oxygen cylinders, luckily they’re the least complicated to make.

‘It’s supporting the effort. I wouldn’t say we’re in the front line but you feel like you’re contributing.’

The hard work could well be set to continue, says Ron: ‘BOC, which supply the oxygen to the hospitals, tell us there’s lots more in the pipeline – it could end up in the thousands.

‘We’ve been working with other companies in the region who’ve pulled out all the stops, doing work overnight to help us fulfil the orders.

‘We are grateful to our suppliers Kloekner Metals, laser cutters M and H Lazer in Tavistock, metal folders Antony Young and Son, and SMB Plating in Plymouth.’e are grateful to our suppliers Kloeckner Metals, laser cutters M&H Lazer in Tavistock, metal folders Antony Young and Son, and SMB Plating in Plymouth.’