Barbara and Jack, I am so sorry for your loss. I only knew Allan for a short few years, but I always felt so welcomed by him and your family. He had some funny jokes to keep us laughing during the R&D trials, and I knew he loved his family very much as he always had great things to say and was always cheering you both on. I am so grateful to have gotten to know him. He will be missed greatly. I am sending my thoughts, lots of love, and all the hugs.

I first met Alan when he was at Stewardson Powder Handling, I was a young whippersnapper finding my feet in industrial sales and went to see him and Tim to discuss bin activators. He was so funny then and put me at ease straight away. We worked a fair few bits during my time at Braby and then at Genesis. A Braby one I remember ( and I got a right telling off from my boss then for going to help Al ) was he was working on a starch silo in Northampton and I’d sold the spares for it - including the belly band sleeve as he called them. It was never a one man job so I went to help him, we had a right laugh, got covered in starch, got rained on and went in the factory which was red hot - remember him saying we’d better get changed before it goes hard or they’ll be shipping us home on a flatbed truck ! Best one was at a bakery in north wales. Our first silo and conveying job as genesis, Al helped on the install and was a god send with his experience and calmness ( something which probably went unseen by many ). We were in the canteen having a brew when all of a sudden we see white smoke everywhere outside, followed by the owners shouting ! The tanker driver, delivering flour, hadn’t coupled up right and flour was everywhere ! We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry until the owner ( still shouting ) said there were local MPs due in an hour and we needed to clear it all up ! There we were brush in hand trying to clean up someone else’s mess and he was just whistling along laughing away - that calmness again ! You’ll be surely missed Al and I hope your friends and family take some comfort from this in what will be a sad occasion. Ironically I’m on a commissioning and install job this week so I’ll have a moment for you - with a smile :-) rest easy my friend xx

I would like to send my condolences to Alan’s family and friends on your sad loss. I’ve known AH for around 30 years. I got to know and work alongside him in the old Braby Days working on various projects around the country and later at Reyam. One of my best memories was working on a muffin plant in London. I was standing one side of an ingredient container, Al on the other and without speaking we both looked at the brownish powder to be added to the mix, testing it by rubbing between our fingers then tasting at the same time we both said chocolate, this is going to be difficult and both started laughing which was the norm when things weren’t going to plan (very professional). He was a great guy who will be sadly missed by all who knew and worked with him. Les Neath ex Braby and Reyam.