MORE than 1,400 visitors took the chance to look behind the scenes as the district’s largest employer opened its doors to the public.

Leading wood-based materials manufacturer EGGER Hexham held two family-friendly open days at the weekend, offering people the chance to tour the factory where production lines run 24 hours a day.

Another popular attraction was the land train which provided everybody the chance to view the entire site.

There was plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy, including a harvesting simulation, face painting, live music and food and drink.

Visitors were invited to take away a goodie bag from the event, with each package containing sapling seeds for people to plant at home.

Tobias Zimmermann, plant director technical/production at the Hexham site, said: “EGGER knows how important it is to continue to build strong relationships with the local community and this was the perfect opportunity for us to do this.

“Overall, the event was hugely popular with our Sunday event reaching capacity.

“There were so many positive comments and it was clear that our visitors really enjoyed it.

“We would love to have had even more people, but this is a working factory and the safety of everyone on site is always our top priority.”

Clare Ball, human resources country manager for EGGER UK, which has another factory in Ayrshire, said: “The open day weekend was a great way to showcase our plant and the diverse processes we have alongside the varied work we carry out at EGGER.

“The recruitment stand was extremely popular with visitors keen to find out more about careers at EGGER and our current opportunities, including information about our upcoming Apprentice Open Day on November 8.”

The EGGER plant in Hexham employs 600 people and is Northumberland’s largest manufacturing employer.

Since being established more than 30 years ago, EGGER UK has created 8.5 million tonnes of chipboard.

John Patterson, director of EGGER Forestry, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people interested in learning about responsible forestry management, something we are truly passionate about, at the open day weekend.

“The forestry harvesting demonstrations provided an opportunity for people to safely see what is involved in our forestry operations.

“The harvesting simulator also provided a fun and interactive way for families to really understand what it’s like to work in the forest.

“A big thank you goes to John Deere who supplied and showcased the forestry machinery at the weekend.”