Lec's take trip down Bognor's memory lane

A LAST look at Lec will be on view in Bognor Regis this month.

An exhibition about the former fridge and freezer factory is being put on show.

It will be held in the town’s museum in West Street from May 22 to May 27, 10am-4pm.

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But a special late night opening until 8pm will take place on May 24. The exhibition will be staffed on the late night and from 1pm and 4pm on May 26 and 27. Entry is free.

The factory’s place on Shripney Road is being taken by a Sainsbury’s store on which building work is about to begin.

Raof Daud, of site owner Sime Darby London, said: “Sime Darby recognises the importance of the Lec site to the people of Bognor and would like to maintain a record for all to see at the town’s museum.

“We have received a lot of interest throughout the process of regenerating the Lec site and would like to acknowledge the contribution of the many people who were involved with the company, including the Purley family.”

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Lec was founded by Charles Purley in the 1940s in Longford Road in Bognor. It moved to Shripney Road in 1948 - which had been occupied by the Bognor Regis Town and Gas Company - and made refrigeration products there until 2004.

Lec was a major employer and had more than 2,000 workers at its peak. Most Bognor families had a link with the company.

The exhibition will pay tribute to them and arose from the large amount of interest generated by the regeneration proposal for the new store.

Much of the material will come from Sime Darby’s archives. Other items are being loaned by the museum’s operator, Bognor Regis Local History Society.

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On show will be information telling how the use of the land has changed, Lec’s history and details about the Purley family.

A time lapse video will show the demolition and clearing of the site.

There will also be a book of reflections for visitors.

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