Nominations Now Open for the J&E Hall Gold Medal
The Institute of Refrigeration is now inviting nominations for the J&E Hall Gold Medal, one of the most internationally respected accolades in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) industry.
Now in its 48th year of continuous sponsorship by J&E Hall International, the Gold Medal recognises individuals or teams who have made the most noteworthy practical contributions to innovation within the RACHP sector. The winner will receive a £5,000 prize in recognition of their achievements.
Eligible nominations include work in the following areas:
- Practical applications of innovative designs
- RACHP installations, developments or technologies making an original contribution to the field
- Systems demonstrating substantial potential and evidence of successful completion
- Outstanding and significant work in a new or unusual area of design and installation
The J&E Hall Gold Medal celebrates excellence, creativity, and technological advancement within the industry, shining a spotlight on those shaping its future.
Nominations close on 23 October.
For more information or to submit a nomination, please visit https://ior.org.uk/about/IOR-awards/gold-medal
NEW ON-LINE IOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY TO SAIRAC MEMBERS.
SAIRAC Members can now join the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR, UK) as an eAffiliate member at a specially discounted partner membership fee. The price for this is just £20 – equivalent to about R385 (normally around £90 per year). This rate is only available to our members because of a partnership which our National Committee have recently agreed with the IOR to share resources and work more closely together.
The benefit of taking up an IOR eAffiliate membership subscription is access to:
- over 300 technical bulletins to download from the IOR website including Safety Codes of Practice for the four refrigerant groups – usually retailing at £48 each for non members
- new refrigerant elearning and training materials for alternatives such as carbon dioxide, flammables and ammonia
- invitations to take part in technical webinars, with recordings accessible when you want to watch them and free Certificates for Professional Development when you participate
- news and updates on refrigerant developments from the IOR
- you can book to attend UK-based IOR conferences at member discount rates
SAIRAC members can find more information by logging into the SAIRAC members only area and selecting the IOR tab.
Skills Survey, Latest News & Education Outreach Officer Opportunity
At last November’s committee meetings, members told us loud and clear that education and skills are the biggest challenges facing our sector. This month, we’re launching two major initiatives to tackle them head-on, and we need your input and support.
- Have Your Say: IOR Skills Needs Survey
Skills shortages. Training gaps. Too few new entrants. These are issues raised at almost every industry meeting. But how big is the problem and what should we do about it?
We’re asking employers and training providers to take part in our IOR Skills Needs Survey. Your input will shape practical solutions such as:
- Supporting new apprenticeships
- Expanding training for designers
- Promoting careers in RACHP
This is your chance to influence the future skills agenda.
👉 Complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LMCT7CY
- Building Bridges: Outreach to Schools, Colleges & Employers
We’re stepping up our outreach to strengthen the pipeline of talent into RACHP. Over the coming months, we’ll be:
- Visiting schools, colleges and employers to raise awareness of RACHP careers
- Mapping training needs across the sector
- Exploring partnerships with STEM organisations and careers fairs
- Reviewing apprenticeships and tapping into funding opportunities
This programme is being kick-started by the IOR President’s Fund for Education, and it’s just the beginning.
We’re recruiting right now:
To drive this forward, we’re hiring an Education Outreach Project Officer. If you (or someone you know) has experience working with schools and colleges, and can prepare evaluation reports based on primary research, we’d love to hear from you.
📩 View the job description and project plan here.
📧 Employers, colleges, and schools interested in supporting this initiative, please contact us at ior@ior.org.uk
💡 Together, we can build the skills, training, and awareness needed to secure the future of our industry.
From the President
Lisa-Jayne Cook FInstR
ANNUAL AGM
This year’s AGM will take place on 29th October at 2.15pm. We are delighted to invite you to attend either in person in London or online. The AGM is a great opportunity to hear from the various IOR Committees about their work of the past year, to input to plans for the future, to review the Annual Report and Accounts for last year and agree membership fees for next year. The results of the elections for Trustees and President-Elect will also be announced at the AGM.
Please follow this link to the event to register and to view the Agenda, Annual Report and other papers.
If you cannot attend on the day please return an AGM Agenda Item proxy vote form to the IOR by 22nd October which is available from the link above (for voting members at Fellow, Member, Associate and Technician grade).
Newsletter and event programme
This autumn’s newsletter is now available online here. It is packed full of reflections from members on important issues facing the sector as well as news on a selection of IOR initiatives, events and publications.
Members will receive an events card by post shortly with information about topics for future papers and webinars. We are planning to hold more events in person and regionally in the coming months.
The Annual Dinner on 12th February 2026 is already open for bookings and following the success of last year’s event and venue we are expecting a lot of interest, so please put the date in your diary now https://ior.org.uk/annualdinner.