Hartridge Ltd Blog

Hartridge celebrates its 80th Birthday!

Posted by Anne Ruff on January 15, 2010

 

Hartridge celebrated it's 80th birthday this year and to commemorate the occasion, all staff and their partners were invited to a birthday black-tie bash on 15th January.

Taking place in the salubrious surroundings of the Villiers Hotel Ballroom, the venue was decked out with pictures from cutting the cakeHartridge's 80 year history. From the very first machines released and the very first employees, the display covered every decade. Unfortunately for some, this also included the 70s, 80s and 90s - we found early pictures of some members of staff sporting very suspect hairstyles!

Master of Ceremonies was Gerrard Herring, our new MD, who started at Hartridge as an apprentice himself in 1986. Along with Pete Smallwood, they both said a few words to thank everyone for their hard work during the previous year. Malcolm Perry, as one of the longest-serving members of staff, was asked to cut the birthday cake. Malcolm has worked for Hartridge for almost 45 years now, alongside Bob Chipperfield, Ken Justice and Paul Woodham who have been here for over 40 years.

After a fantastic meal and some after-dinner entertainment (including a memorable rendition of Tom Jones's Delilah) everyone danced the night away. Our two newest apprentices, Liam and Luke, certainly looked like they enjoyed themselves and it was a real pleasure to watch them starting their careers following in the footsteps of so many of our senior managers who also started as apprentices.

Having everyone's partner present at the function provided a wonderful atmosphere. Hartridge has always been committed to the wellbeing of all who work there and we consider our customers, distributors and staff as a part of the Hartridge family. From brand-new apprentices to the long timers, there is real camaraderie across the workforce and since the management buyout in 2005 the company has gone from strength to strength based solely on the efforts of everyone who has worked here. Here’s to the next 80 years!

group photo

Last updated: 02 Feb 2010

Subscribe to Email Updates

Latest News