A Suffolk-based company has been appointed as the primary supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Sizewell C nuclear power station project, creating 23 new jobs in the county.
Suffolk Safety Solutions, based in Bacton near Stowmarket, will supply essential safety workwear to Sizewell C’s growing workforce over the next three years. The contract covers items including hard hats, high-visibility clothing and protective eyewear, supporting the project’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of on-site safety.
The company is a joint venture between family-run PPE and workwear specialist Mathias & Sons Ltd and Suffolk-based portable accommodation provider Portable Space Ltd. The partnership builds on Mathias & Sons’ eight years of experience supplying the Hinkley Point C nuclear project, where a number of innovative safety solutions were developed and successfully trialled.
Those proven approaches will now be replicated at Sizewell C, with Portable Space providing complementary warehousing and logistics services. The newly created roles at Suffolk Safety Solutions will include warehouse operatives and delivery drivers, with further opportunities for apprenticeships also expected.
Jason Mathias, managing director of Mathias & Sons Ltd, said the contract marked a major milestone for the businesses involved.
“This represents a monumental achievement for our respective companies,” he said. “Through many years of collaboration and innovation at Hinkley Point C, we’ve gained a deep understanding of the unique demands of large-scale construction projects. We’ve used that learning to create a PPE model that embraces technology to enhance safety, wellbeing, efficiency and sustainability.”
Mark Dolman, managing director of Portable Space, said the partnership would deliver long-term benefits for the region.
“We’re excited to support these innovations at Sizewell C,” he said. “Our partnership with Mathias will create jobs and apprenticeships for local people in Suffolk and help drive long-term sustainable growth.”
The contract forms part of Sizewell C’s wider commitment to invest £2 billion in Suffolk businesses during the construction of the new power station, which is already under way on the county’s coast. To date, £581 million has been awarded to local suppliers.
At peak construction, Sizewell C is expected to support around 8,000 jobs, with approximately one-third filled by people from the local area.
Damian Leydon, site delivery director at Sizewell C, said safety and local economic impact were central to the project.
“Ensuring the highest standards of safety and protection for our workforce is our number one priority,” he said. “We’re pleased to partner with Mathias and Portable Space – two well-established UK companies – as we deliver this nationally significant project. This is also great news for local jobs and reinforces our commitment to supporting Suffolk businesses.”
The announcement follows a report published in December by global economic advisory firm Oxford Economics, which estimated that at the peak of construction Sizewell C could reduce local unemployment by between 1,700 and 2,200 people, potentially cutting Suffolk’s jobless rate from 2.7 per cent to as low as 1.7 per cent.
A technology company that sponsors Ipswich Town FC is set to take over one of Suffolk’s most celebrated office buildings.
Stowmarket-based Halo will move its global headquarters to the Willis Building in Ipswich, which has been occupied by the insurance firm Willis since it opened in 1975. The building will remain partly occupied by Willis’ successor company, WTW, which will retain a smaller presence.
The Grade I listed, curved glass building was designed by Lord Norman Foster and is widely regarded as one of the most revolutionary office buildings of its era. Foster’s later work includes London’s Gherkin and Stansted Airport’s main terminal.
Halo founder Paul Hamilton said the move would support the company’s ambition to employ 800 graduates by 2030, describing the opportunity as “creating something very special in Suffolk”.
“I think there is a whole ecosystem around Halo,” he said. “As we position ourselves as Europe’s number one agentic AI software platform, other technology companies will gravitate towards Suffolk.”
Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can achieve specific goals with limited supervision.
Hamilton added: “Being able to provide one of the most progressive employment opportunities in the world for young people in Suffolk is a real privilege.
“We deliberately stay out of Silicon Valley, Miami, New York, London and Singapore – all the places conventional business wisdom tells you to go.”
Halo was founded in Hamilton’s mother-in-law’s spare room and now employs around 200 people across two offices in Stowmarket. The company first appeared as Ipswich Town’s shirt-sleeve sponsor in 2023 and now features prominently on the front of the club’s home kit.
“Ipswich is the natural choice,” Hamilton said. “Half of our team live in Ipswich, within a 10-minute walk of the new office.”
The move is expected to begin this spring, while Halo will continue to operate an office in Stowmarket.
Explaining the choice of location, Hamilton said: “Why the Willis Building? It’s iconic. We looked at many buildings, but there was just something different about this one. We could see ourselves here for the rest of our years.”
The Willis Building celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025. Hamilton said he could “see this being Halo’s home for the next 50 years”.
The building’s distinctive interior, featuring yellow and green finishes, forms part of its Grade I listing and was designed to promote openness and collaboration. When it opened, the building included a roof garden and an indoor swimming pool, which remains in place but is no longer in use.
It was once described by architect Zaha Hadid as “a timeless classic – a vision of what is possible”.
Halo’s workforce has an average age of 24.2, with many graduate trainees born and raised in Suffolk.
Graduate employee Bethan Manning, 24, from Mildenhall, said she expected to move to a major city to secure a technology role.
“I fully expected that to land a graduate job like this I’d be moving to London or another big city,” she said. “Instead, I can stay close to family and friends and still build a great career.”
Dan Sheridan, 21, who grew up in Ipswich and recently graduated from the University of Nottingham, said the move was a statement of long-term commitment.
“It’s my first proper workplace, and you really feel invested in,” he said. “I’m proud of the move – and being close to the football ground is a bonus.”
Alice Davis, 23, an economics graduate who previously worked at Ipswich Hospital, said Halo’s growth could help prevent young people leaving the county.
“I love Suffolk and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” she said. “What’s exciting is that the tech hub is expanding beyond Cambridge.”
Jack Abbott, Labour MP for Ipswich, described the move as “massive” for the town.
“This isn’t just about culture and events,” he said. “It’s about economic rejuvenation – increased footfall, stronger local businesses and a renewed sense of confidence.”
A WTW spokesperson confirmed the arrangement would be a sale-and-leaseback deal.
“Our intention is to align our Ipswich office with WTW’s wider global real estate portfolio,” the statement said. “WTW colleagues will continue to be based in the Ipswich office following the sale.”
Sizewell B Power Station, near Leiston, has been providing 3pc of the UK's power since it started generating in 1995.
Each year the station unveils a number of apprentices and this Saturday, January 24, the site on the Suffolk coast is opening the doors of its visitor centre between 9am and 1pm for anyone interested in learning more about this year's scheme.
Steven Day, apprentice co-ordinator at Sizewell B, said: "Our apprentice schemes are always extremely popular.
"They provide two years of specialist nuclear college training and then two more years of on-the-job training.
"It's always been a popular scheme and we are expecting a huge amount of interest again this year."
Staff in a variety of roles are being sought this year.
Mr Day added: "We are looking for six people to train as engineering maintenance apprentices, two to ultimately join our chemistry team and two more nuclear engineering apprentices.
"We are also looking for people interested in joining our training scheme for process computing and HR.
"With Sizewell C development now in full swing and Sizewell B looking at keeping generation going until at least 2055 there has never been a better time for Suffolk youngsters to consider roles in nuclear."
