Well-renowned Northamptonshire locksmith in with a chance of being named best female in the UK
A well-renowned Northamptonshire locksmith is in with a chance of being named the best female in the industry in the UK.
AutoKeyChase is a family-run business launched by partners Hannah and John Middleton in September 2018, and the pair relocated to Northampton around five years later in November 2023.
Having just had their baby boy Chase, coupled with the fact Hannah had gained knowledge of the industry from her locksmith father, they started this venture so they could work for themselves around being parents to five sons.
Hannah and John have made a name for themselves by specialising in key and lock-related issues with certain car models – as well as offering security services, immobilisers and trackers as a “broad horizons locksmith”.
Although they tend to stick to helping people across Northamptonshire, specialising in certain vehicles has seen them travel further afield to assist customers in need.
“We’ve done brilliantly here and we have lots of five star reviews,” Hannah told the Chronicle & Echo. “Word of mouth is very strong and we’re growing at a good rate.
“I run a locksmith WhatsApp group and I’m the only woman. There’s 108 of us. There’s not many of us in the UK and people know me, who I am and what I do. I have a YouTube channel for tutorials and there are loads of lockies on there.
“I’ve started getting recognised within the industry and I’m quite well-known in the UK and different countries. I had someone ring me from New Zealand for help.”
Hannah’s proudest achievement is getting to the level she and John have reached over the past decade, in comparison to others who have been in the industry for longer.
Having completed more than 3,000 jobs in Northamptonshire since moving to the area from London, Hannah has been named as a finalist in the ‘best female locksmith in the UK’ category at the upcoming National Locksmith Awards.
“It’s brilliant,” said Hannah. “I didn’t know it was coming. It’d be a massive achievement to receive if I could and a massive boost for our company. It shows we’re genuine, decent and good at what we do. It’s nice to even be acknowledged, let alone if I was to take it.”
The hope for AutoKeyChase moving forward is to continue growing the business, which Hannah and John would love to involve their children in before handing it down to the family.