“It’s as if everyone you meet when you’re out works in FG Wilson — it’s unbelievable.” That was how one Larne woman summed up the company's place in the town yesterday, where there were few who did not have time to talk about ‘FG’s’.

It seemed like everyone had a friend, family member or even a spouse who works, or used to work in the plant, and could be affected by the redundancies of 138 workers due to a downturn in orders.

Jamie Thomson — “Larne born and bred,” in his own words — works at the Maxol Garage and Spar on Old Glenarm Road, directly across from the sprawling FG Wilson plant. The Maxol is a pit-stop for many of the FG Wilson workers, for boiler-suit-clad fitters and welders to buy their lunch, cigarettes and newspapers.

James said “three or four” of his friends work at FG Wilson. “If people are to be made redundant from FG Wilson’s, it will have a bad effect on the town as it has brought a lot of prosperity here .”

Norma Millar, also from Larne, said FG Wilson had improved the lives of many people in Larne by providing employment. “It would be a ghost town without FG Wilson,” she said.

George Loughbridge from Carrickfergus was the voice of experience, and claimed to have seen prosperity come and go in other parts of east Antrim, as one-time major employers like Courtaulds, Magheramorne Cement Works, ICI and Flaxall had closed or drastically cut their workforce in recent years. “What is there left in this district? There’s nothing.”

Bakery worker Debbie Maltan said her 19-year-old nephew could be affected by the cuts. He has worked at FG Wilson for 18 months. “Up until today he thought he had a job in the warehouses. But there’s ones who have been there for even longer.”

A customer at Happy Days gift shop, who has lived in Larne all her life, was closely aware of the benefits FG Wilson had brought to the town. “After GEC sold their plant in Larne, it was as if there was a hole in Larne because so many people were unemployed. But when FG Wilson came, they employed far more people than GEC and it felt as if things were on the up again.” She was optimistic about FG Wilson’s overall prospects. “People will always need generators.”