About us
Nationwide Catering Services Limited
We have a customer-centric culture, national coverage and over 60 years experience supporting our customers’ catering equipment needs.
Our History
Nationwide Catering Services Ltd (NCS) was formed in 1953 but the origins of the company go way back into the nineteenth century.
In 1890, Charles Midgley (Great Great Grandfather of our current Managing Director Simon Atkinson) was General Manager of British Power Traction & Lighting Company Ltd. This was a time when businesses had names that really said what they did. After a management buyout in 1901, The Eclipse Copper Company Ltd. was born and the NCS story really started.
Based in Halifax, and later York, Eclipse were market leaders in the development, design and manufacture of commercial water boilers.
Supplying giants of the day including LNER (London North Eastern Railway) it was all about boiling water quickly and in volume for a nation of tea lovers. Marketing literature from the time shows the passion the public had for a decent brew. Tea then was very different, the “Tea Bag” was not invented until 1908 and was not brought to UK shop shelves until 1939 by Tetley, so loose leaf tea was king.
Some Eclipse marketing from the time makes interesting reading. It pulls no punches and shows how dedicated we were as a nation of tea drinkers. Very important stuff.
The ‘Eclipse’ Water Boiler and its derivatives including a twin boiler, affectionately known as the ‘Siamese’, were market leaders. Boiling one gallon of water per minute for continuous use.
Charles Atkinson (Simon’s Grandfather) was employed as a sheet metal worker at the outbreak of WW2 and went to enlist at Imphal Barracks, York to join the war effort. Being a skilled metal worker he was unceremoniously told to go and find employment elsewhere and joined Marston Excelsior, Leeds where he worked on development and manufacture of parts for the Lancaster Bomber.
Charles took over the reigns at Eclipse in the latter years of WW2 and the post war boom years were exciting and busy times for Eclipse. The American style coffee bars were popular across the UK and Eclipse grew with the times, manufacturing counters and accessories for their water boilers.
Eclipse Equipment Services Ltd was incorporated in 1953 to service catering equipment across the UK and it grew from strength to strength. Servicing the network of Eclipse boilers and increasing number of bespoke servery counters throughout the UK as well as servicing all makes of catering equipment for a number of larger UK businesses including ICI, BP and National Westminster Bank.
Current MD Simon Atkinson took charge of Eclipse Equipment Services Ltd in 1989 at which point the business relocated to Selby and changed its name to Nationwide Catering Services Ltd to reflect the growing nature of the business.
Good, old fashioned, customer service will always be the foundation at NCS. We are investing in personnel, equipment and technology to build on that foundation, developing our services, adding more value for both our existing and new customers.
2020/21 have been challenging years for many in our industry, we would like to wish you all the very best for the future.
Thanks for taking the time to read our story so far, If you are interested in what we can do for your business, please do give us a call or drop us a line.
Simon Atkinson - Managing Director
