Tony Forster, founder, and managing director of Leeds-based Spa Laminates Ltd for more than 30 years, has died at the age of 69.
Mr Forster established Spa Laminates in 1974 at the age of 34. The company started by making coffins from veneer bonded to chipboard and soon expanded into manufacturing cabinets for cigarette vending machines, fruit machines, gas fires and dartboards and was even commissioned to produce a dartboard cabinet for Buckingham Palace.
Early on Mr Forster realised that the company’s expertise was not the products it made but the skill in working with veneer. He focused on that expertise and the business grew year on year. Proud of everything that Spa produced, when pushed he would cite Spa’s involvement in the refurbishment of the Assembly Rooms in Stormont Castle, Belfast as a project of which he was particularly proud. The two-year project involved replicating the original panelling with complicated inlay work with only black and white images to work from.
Recognising the importance of investing in new technology, Mr Forster continued to extend the company’s client offering, for example, investing in embossing technology – a unique process which allowed for the development of new products such as EASipanel.
Well liked and respected within the industry, Mr Forster faithfully attended the Great Yorkshire Show each year to judge the marquetry category.
Originally based in a single railway arch under the Leeds Manchester Railway, Spa has come a long way to today’s 40,000ft² manufacturing plant. In recent years Mr Forster was supported at Spa by three family members, sons Mark (now managing director), Daryn and son-in-law Tim Bradley. Retaining a loyal workforce, with three employees recently celebrating 25 years of service and many others approaching this milestone, Mr Forster will be sadly missed by all his colleagues.
The funeral is due to take place on Wednesday September 16 at 2.20pm at Stonefall Cemetery, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
