Website: https://www.wearebert.co.uk
Email: info@wearebert.co.uk
There is something very friendly and relatable about Andy and in a world where people can find it difficult to be vulnerable, his openness is so refreshing. After a career spanning 27 years as a REME in the British Army, he obtained his aviation licenses in 2008 allowing him to join a small helicopter company in Yorkshire before moving to Shropshire where he now works for Airbus Helicopters.
Andy’s work ethic is not unfamiliar to us entrepreneurs, spending many hours in his role as a line manager for 40 staff as well as overseeing the operation and maintenance of around 30 helicopters in the UK. However, the long hours together with the sudden death of his Mum in 2022 took their toll and he began to struggle.
Alongside the medical support, Andy found a creative side that slowly began to give him the mental space and sense of calm that was needed alongside his day job.
So this is how the Berts robots came about; a collection of unique creations which started off as just a hobby or gifts to friends and family and then progressed to corporate gifts and commissioned pieces.
Andy’s sideline conjures up childhood memories for those of us who liked playing with Duplo/Lego and Meccano. That free will creativity with the countless possibilities depending upon how we felt at the time. Andy sees his creativity as ‘meditation for engineers’ and it is this ‘meditation’ which has been a significant part of his progress since last summer.
Alongside this, Andy’s wife Lotty has begun to explore her own creative side, writing stories around his robots and this is fast becoming the main area of their business: with one book published so far; The Adventures of Weebert (available from Amazon) they are hoping to realise a series of children’s programmes centred around the Bert family of robots. With support from some well-known names in animation, all of us who have got to know them via networking are keeping our fingers crossed-how cool it will be to see the Berts on TV! For a taster of this, go to their Youtube channel.
In the meantime, perhaps the most memorable part of Andy’s business is creating those unique bespoke pieces. Working with Andy to bring together various objects stored around our home into one or more items that evoke many precious moments and emotions. Many of us start such a project with good intentions, but handing something over to Andy guarantees that you will receive a completed item that you can display. The blog that Lotty has created sums this up perfectly:
https://www.wearebert.co.uk/blog/crafting-memories-how-to-decorate-with-sentimental-items
They have also created a group on this community, so if this is of interest, do join and let’s help these childhood sweethearts to realise their dream!
