Notice Board
FOUR DECADES OF TRUST & CRAFTSMANSHIP:
Cheshire Lock & Safe
For more than 40 years, Cheshire Lock & Safe has been keeping homes and businesses across Macclesfield secure. What began in 1982 as a small local workshop founded by Alan Clayton has grown into one of the area’ s most trusted locksmith and security firms.
» TODAY, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF Managing Director Richard Cooke, the company combines old-school craftsmanship with modern technology to deliver reliable, professional security solutions to its customers, and futureproof the business for future generations.
From Apprentice to Ownership
I started out as an apprentice locksmith back in 1988 at Cheshire Lock & Safe, working under Alan Clayton himself. I qualified as a Master Locksmith in 1993, and after gaining experience at City Lock and Safe, I decided to branch out on my own in 2000. Over the years, I built up my own company( Independent Security Solutions) but I always stayed in touch with Alan.
When Alan decided to retire in 2019, it felt like the right time for me to come full circle. We came to an agreement in 2020, and I took ownership of Cheshire Lock & Safe. It felt symbolic, like a passing of the torch. Alan had built a reputation for integrity and customer service, and that’ s something I’ ve been determined to preserve.
Now, as we pass the 43-year milestone and enter our 44th year, I’ m proud to be steering the company into the future! Hopefully one day passing it on to my twin sons, Alex and Gabe, both of whom have joined me in the business.
A Family of Qualified Master Locksmiths
We’ re a small, close-knit team of four, but what makes us unique is that every one of us is a qualified Master Locksmith. My two sons recently achieved their QML status this year, and our shop manager, Andrew Worthington( who started his career here in 1983) also holds an FQML.
Andrew and I go way back; he was my mentor when I started as an apprentice. Bringing him back into the fold was important to me when I took ownership. He also brings valuable IT expertise, which has helped us bring the company fully into the digital age.
Having every member of staff QMLaccredited isn’ t just a badge of honour, it’ s a statement of credibility. In an industry plagued by the rise of fake £ 49 locksmith scams promoted on Google, it reassures customers that we’ re the real deal: qualified, vetted, and accountable.
We’ ve been vocal in supporting the Master Locksmiths Association in raising awareness of these scams. I even wrote to our local MP, Tim Roca, who’ s pledged to support efforts to bring better regulation to the industry and online search platforms.
Combining Heritage with High Tech
When I took over, one of my main goals was to modernise the business without losing its identity. Gone are the old paper-based systems. We now run a fully integrated EPOS system with inventory control and cloud-based accounting. Here, everything is centralised, our quotes, jobs, parts, invoices, are seamlessly tracked from start to finish.
We’ ve embraced Microsoft Azure for cloud services, from Active Directory management to secure data storage via SharePoint. We have triple redundancy built in across our systems, meaning if our premises ever burned down, we could be up and running the next day with no data loss.
12
DECEMBER 2025
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