Yeovil declared 'Home of British Helicopters' in local ceremony

A Somerset town has been officially declared the "Home of British Helicopters".

The slogan is being added to welcome signs in Yeovil, which has a long history of manufacturing aircraft.

Leonardo Helicopters UK employs 3,000 people at its Yeovil site and is currently bidding for a £1.2bn Ministry of Defence contract.

Managing director, Adam Clark, said the company is "developing and designing" the future of aviation in Somerset.

Leonardo's idea to add the slogan to the town's signage was approved by South Somerset District Council in one of its last actions before it became Somerset Council.

It has already been added to signs at locations including Yeovil College, and Huish Park, the home of Yeovil Town Football Club.

The signs will be installed and maintained by Leonardo and are designed to advertise Yeovil's contribution to defence and manufacturing.

Leonardo, which has eight sites in the UK, employs a total of almost 7,500 people, said their Yeovil site is Britain's "only onshore helicopter manufacturer".

Mr Clarke said: "Yeovil means a lot to Leonardo, and Leonardo means a lot to Yeovil.

"I know this shared pride has deep roots throughout our site and the town.

"We are committed to continuously building on the foundations laid by our heritage to sustain a successful business for decades to come."

Dave Harvey, BBC West business correspondent

It was in World War One that a Yeovil engineering business stopped making agricultural engines and built seaplanes for the Navy.

And Leonardo have been making helicopters in Yeovil since World War Two.

Since then the flag over the factory has changed many times.

Petters, then Westland, then Agusta Westland, now the Italian firm Leonardo owns the business.

But generations of people in Yeovil have worked here.

It is still the only place in the UK you can design, build and test a helicopter from start to finish, and teach pilots to fly it.

But it may not be a coincidence the company has decided to shout about the town's heli-history just now.

Leonardo is in the end game of a vital commercial battle.

A bid for a £1.2bn contract with the Ministry of Defence, to supply the next generation of helicopters to British armed forces.

They are up against Airbus, the huge European aerospace company, who are offering to build a rival helicopter in North Wales.

Declaring Yeovil to be the "home of British helicopters" is as much a commercial tactic as a celebration of their community.

Attending a ceremony held by Leonardo to celebrate its recognition by the town and local council, MP for Yeovil, Marcus Fysh, said that the new signage would bring local people "a source of pride".

"People do need to recognise that the heritage of the town is intrinsically linked to this company," he added.

"These are really iconic products and we want similar products to be made here well in the future."

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