Jump seats
As far as I am aware (BA) have tightened up on jump seat rides, yes, but the exclusion list that was distibuted to staff did NOT include ATCOs. How this works in the real world, I don't know - and as I have my NATS interview in 3 weeks, with any luck I shan't find out, from the BA side, anyway!
I suggest badgering your previous contacts, and quote examples like the one in this thread. It costs little as an airline, and if the value you get as a controller is anything close to the value we get, as airline staff, visiting your place of work, then it MUST be worth it!
However, since the airlines (CAA?) banned flight crew families from the jump seat, we've all had a hard time getting up there, behind the locked door...