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News

Active CCTV Celebrates 25 Years with Record Growth and Nationwide Expansion Plans

A UK-WIDE CCTV firm is celebrating 25 years in business with a host of new clients, soaring turnover, and ambitious plans to grow its presence across the UK.

Mochdre-based Active CCTV was launched in 2000 by Adrian Standerwick, who admits he started out with limited technical know-how, saying at the time he “couldn’t even wire a plug”.

Now, a quarter of a century later, the company is thriving. Active CCTV installs advanced security systems for major national brands including McDonald’s, Montgomery Water, Brother, PetPlace, Henllan Bakery, Bourne Leisure, and Culina Group.

The past year has brought personal challenges for Adrian, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for bowel cancer. His health battle follows the heartbreaking loss of his 25-year-old son Sam in 2016.

Despite these hardships, Adrian remains a pillar of strength in the business, driven by his commitment to customers and supported by a close-knit team of expert engineers.

“It has been a tough time, but I have an amazing family and my son Matt, who leads on the installation side of the business, has been incredible in stepping up to help me,” said Adrian.

“As has Andy, who has been with the company for nearly two years and taken over a lot of the day to day running of the company, which has been a huge help in taking the pressure off and allowing me to focus on fighting this disease and the time to rest and recover.

“I am a positive person and focused on getting better, I can no longer live to work 24/7, but at the same time we are busier than ever which is fantastic.”

The company has seen rapid expansion in recent years, with turnover increasing fourfold since 2020.

“We have grown 400% over the last four years and that trend looks set to continue given some of the major contracts we’ve signed with big players, notably in retail and self-storage, which is our biggest market,” said Adrian.

“This has been recognised by the local Chamber of Commerce, where we were a finalist in the 2024 Business Growth Award, another incredible achievement considering the amount and quality of other businesses in our area.”

Key to this growth has been diversification – something Adrian admits came about somewhat organically.

“Self-storage is now about 60% of our workload, with clients from the top of Scotland to the bottom of England and all over, so we have become a big player in that sector,” he said.

“Complex installations have always been our forte, that has raised our profile and as we have a tight-knit team with talent and experience we can do major projects while keeping costs low and quality high, a major USP for us.”

Looking back on the last 25 years, Adrian recalls how Active CCTV was the first firm in North Wales to introduce PC-based surveillance systems—despite early skepticism.

“Consistency and building strong business relationships has been key, in the way we deal with customers and in always wanting to learn, to implement the newest and most up-to-date technology, and in supporting other firms locally, which is reflected in the amount of five-star reviews we have received,” he said.

“CCTV has moved on – it is literally night and day from when we started as the cameras are full colour and can produce clear, light images around the clock – and we have had to move with the times, but I am proud to say we have done so successfully and will continue to for many years to come.”

For more information, visit www.active-cctv.co.uk or email info@active-cctv.co.uk. Alternatively, call 01492 547997.

North Wales, Security, Tech

CCTV company marking 20 years is focused on national growth after lockdown revamp

A CCTV company recording 20 years in business used lockdown to reinvent itself and focus on national growth.

Adrian Standerwick, Director of Active CCTV, unveiled a new-look website, branding and mission statement to celebrate two decades of the Mochdre-based firm.

It has been a challenging time for Adrian and wife Debbie; four years ago, their beloved son Sam died of an unknown heart condition aged just 25, a tragedy that shook them to the core.

Adrian threw himself into charity work and launched the Sam Standerwick Memorial Fund – which has raised more than £50,000 – but admits he “took his eye off the ball” when it came to the business.

“We were working all over the country, and Sam was my main installer, so when he passed away it had a devastating impact and made me reflect on everything,” said the 54 year old, who also has sons Simon, Matthew and daughter Amy.

“Matthew stepped into the breach and took over the installation side of the business, if it hadn’t been for him and the way he took on the challenge we would never have survived those first few months – I am so thankful and proud of him for that.”

He added: “As a company we had started to concentrate too much on the big national jobs, the hotel and pub chains, petrol stations, supermarkets and warehouse distribution.

“That was all fantastic, and at one point our turnover was more than £500,000, but I had lost sight of where it all began and what we were about.

“For the first few years if anyone wanted security systems installing in our local area, they would come to us, but that changed – I had to do something about it, and have.”

Originally from Bristol, Adrian previously owned a signage firm before a career in sales took him across the country and eventually to Llanddulas, North Wales.

After doing market research and seeing a gap in the market for an innovative security business, he took the leap and Active CCTV was born.

“At the time certain companies were selling alarms but none were really doing CCTV,” he said.

“Using my sales background, I began to drum up interest, and while it was a steep learning curve from the electrical and fitting side of it, things started to take off.

“One thing I always want us to be is at the forefront of new technology and equipment, and within a year of us launching we were the very first company in North Wales to install a PC-based CCTV system – from there we grew and grew.”

Soon they were fitting systems for some of the biggest names in retail and hospitality, including Tuffins and Marston’s brewery chain, before moving on to huge warehouse installations, sometimes fitting 100 cameras at a single site.

“We watched the sector evolve from VCR to PC-based systems to standalone CCTV technology, 8Mega Pixel cameras, perimeter protection and more,” said Adrian.

“We encourage clients to change their system at least every five years as there is of course the chance the footage captured will be needed as evidence in court, so it has to be of the highest quality, and we never compromise on that.”

Playing a key part in helping to bust a card cloning ring at a national petrol station chain was an example of that, and there have been other times when they helped bring people to justice.

But just as important for Adrian is client satisfaction, which is why everyone they work with has their own bespoke system tailored for the needs of their organisation, or private home.

The priority now is re-establishing themselves in North Wales and beyond, starting with a free CCTV health check for their existing and past customer base.

And the Memorial Fund will continue to promote CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) and raise awareness of SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome).

“The support we have had from Sam’s friends and the local community in particular has been incredible,” said Adrian.

“We have raised more than £50,000, which has enabled us to match-fund 15 defibrillators and screen more than 600 youngsters in our local area. Those efforts will continue, and we are so grateful to everyone who has helped us.”

He added: “I’ve learned that you should never lose sight of where you are from and where you started, and that’s a tough lesson.

“Since the start of the year, even taking into account the Coronavirus pandemic, we have worked hard, secured contracts with new and existing leading North Wales businesses – such as Afonwen Laundry and PetPlace – and Active CCTV has a whole new look.

“Ultimately, I will build the company back up to the point where we are operating all over the country, but at a sustainable pace and with North Wales at the heart of everything we do.

“That’s my goal, and for Sam and all of our loyal customers, we will make it happen.”

For more information, visit www.active-cctv.co.uk or email info@active-cctv.co.uk. Alternatively, call 01492 547997.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/1402315749909671 to support the Sam Standerwick Memorial Fund.