Campaign to reunite factory workers with plaques

The daughter of a former factory worker is aiming to reunite those recognised for their long service at the plant with individual ceremonial plaques before it closes in 2026.

Dutch coffee-making giant Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) announced last month that it would be closing its plant in Banbury next year.

The factory, which first opened as a General Foods plant in the 1960s and employed thousands at its peak, is home to an honours board made up of plaques honouring those who worked there for 30 or more years.

Having recovered her father's plaque, Jo Mobley is now attempting to reunite the more than 600 others on the board with theirs.

Talking to the BBC, she said: "It started as a very small mission and its ended up very big - it's snowballed into finding more than 600 names."

"I would like every person, or as quite a few have passed away, any of their families to be reunited with their plaques," she said.

Ms Mobley, who has already gathered 261 names, has started the 'Help reunite 30 yrs service plaques from JDE' Facebook page, where anyone who may have a plaque on the honours board can get in touch.

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