Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group Seasonal Supper By the Sea

An inspirational, celebratory, social evening hosted by PMG at the incredible National Marine Aquarium

What a night! Thank you to everyone who came and joined in our special evening at the National Marine Aquarium!

The arrival drinks sponsored by Plymouth Gin were the perfect foundation for walking through the aquarium to dinner by the Eddystone Tank, where guests were beckoned in by whales and turtles wearing santa hats!

Broadcaster, David Fitzgerald warmly guided us all through the evening’s programme as compere and first up was our Chair, Karen Friendship who welcomed members and PMG friends to the event and recognised the achievements of the manufacturers through the year.

This was followed by a special talk from Roger Maslin, CEO of the NMA, who highlighted the important work of the Ocean Conservation Trust and the exciting and ground-breaking future of Plymouth’s National Marine Park – the first of its kind in the UK.

After dinner, our special guest, Angus Forbes, investor, environmentalist and enthusiastic newcomer to Plymouth, inspired the audience with his vision for for the city and it’s global potential in his conversation with Fitz. You can read more about our special guest contributors in the sections below.

And as part of the festivities we must say well done to Table 2 “Shoal Survivors” for winning Fitz’s Ocean Themed Quiz and thank you for the rum tasting opportunities with Honky Tonk Wine Library!

Keep scrolling to view the Event Photo Gallery!

The evening wouldn't have been possible without our event sponsors - read more about them in the section below!

Catch up on our Seasonal Supper programme!

Download the Programme here

and scroll down for the Event Photo Gallery!

About our Sponsors

Nash & Co

Nash & Co Solicitors is one of the top firms of solicitors in Plymouth. From our offices in the historic Beaumont House, we work with clients across the City, throughout the South West, and nationally too.

We’re a law firm that punches well above our weight and our client list would be the envy of much larger firms nationwide. Our business lawyers deliver a joined-up service, ensuring clear communication and excellent attention to detail.

We’re also experienced in working with your other professional advisors – accountants and auditors for example. If you need advice on where to go for these specialised services, we can provide recommendations based on our extensive network of trusted professionals.

Azets

Azets is the only UK Top 10 accountancy firm with full-service offices south-west of Bristol.

We are pleased to support the PMG, and offer our expertise as a resource to PMG members as part of our collaborative approach to businesses in Plymouth.

With over 7,500 people across our global office network, we are people powered business delivering a range of accounting, tax, audit, advisory and business services providing you with a personal experience, both digitally and at your door.

Whether you’re an ambitious entrepreneurial start-up, a medium sized business ready to scale, or a large enterprise looking at your future strategic goals. Wherever you are in your business lifecycle we maximise your precious time – so you can focus on what you do best.

Your Tech Future

At Your Tech Future, we’re not just a tech recruitment partner; we’re a dedicated team with a genuine desire to make a difference. Our journey began with Your Digital Future, and we later introduced Your Tech Future, where we wholeheartedly committed ourselves to supporting future generations in the UK and around the world who are in need.

Our approach to tech recruitment is centred on relationships and driven by delivering exceptional service. We believe that building strong connections should be at the core of everything we do. Every candidate we place isn’t just another hire; it’s an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

While our primary focus is matching exceptional talent with value-led businesses, we’re also proud to drive positive change through partnerships with remarkable charities like Edukid and the Amber Foundation. Our core values not only guide our recruitment efforts but also empower us to contribute to a greater cause.

At Your Tech Future, we’re here to connect talent with opportunity and, in doing so, create a ripple effect of positive impact for both businesses and the communities we serve.”

Forward Waste Management

Forward is a multi disciplined Total Waste Management service group  focused specifically on serving the UK manufacturing sector.  We deliver our commitment to “Reducing waste in every way” by:

Eliminating waste at point of production – by understanding manufacturing process, analysing best resource management techniques and options, with change delivery through a consultative approach

Finding better outcomes – as resource management experts we enable better source segregation, separation and preparation for reuse in production or recycling off site through our own in-house processing facilities and other specialist service partnerships

Reducing waste volume – our waste handling equipment division, Enviroquip, manufactures and supplies a comprehensive range of processing equipment, from compactors and balers through to shredders, granulators and  dewatering systems

Proactive account management – our team of highly qualified and experienced waste managers work dynamically with our customers to lead and drive continuous improvement in waste reduction and compliance improvement

Service excellence – Our extensive transport fleet of specialist vehicles is managed with our next day capability collection commitment, for best cost management and environmental efficiency

Our Charity Raffle was in aid of The Ocean Conservation Trust

We are delighted that through our Event Charity Raffle we raised £1100 for the Ocean Conservation Trust!

The OCT focuses on two key areas: habitat restoration and behaviour change.

Following their ground-breaking conservation pathway that has been proven to work, the charity’s approach puts people at the centre, working hard to create meaningful connections between people and the Ocean as the first step to inspiring long-term behaviour change.

This is done in tandem, with more traditional conservation work, surrounding the protecting, monitoring and restoration of crucial Ocean habitats, with a particular focus on seagrasses.

Our Charity Raffle Prize List

Afternoon Tea for two at the Marco Pierre White Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza Plymouth donated by the Crowne Plaza.

A Voucher for a Four Ball Golf Game at Welbeck Manor – donated by Welbeck Manor

A family ticket for the NMA

Afternoon Tea at St Elizabeth’s House donated by Rittal.

A £100 voucher to have custom lampshades made by the Barbican’s own Gosh & Absolutely donated by Engage Workplace.

The Aldermans Advent Drinks Tree! An advent calendar with a twist for the working days before Christmas – made and donated by Aldermans. Use the Drinks Tree for a fun festive season celebration or to raise money for a local charity! Ask the Aldermans crew for more details!

A Meta Quest 3 !!! donated by Plessey

Huge thank you to everyone who donated a prize!

Special Guest Bio - ANGUS FORBES

Hailing originally from Australia – Angus Forbes spent 20 years as a City of London banker before transitioning to become a leading environmentalist.

It was in 2007 that Angus left the City to work for himself as an investor and to mentor consumer start-ups. Angus also joined his wife, Dame Darcey Bussell DBE, patron of 16 charities, in working on a variety of philanthropic and business interests. At this time, he became the inaugural director of the Prince of the Wales Rainforest Project.

Then in 2014, with increasing activity in environmental projects, Angus founded the charity Bankers without Boundaries www.bwbuk.org, which is an investment banking, asset management and advisory firm focused on delivering value to clients that benefit the environment and society – he still Chairs this organisation today.

By 2017, Angus also originated www.votegpa.com with the aim of promoting global governance of the biosphere – a subject upon which he was invited to talk at the University of Plymouth’s Sustainable Earth Institute to a fascinated audience. This engagement led to Angus becoming intrigued by Plymouth itself, and to investing in the city with a desire to help it reach its potential. We’ll hear from Angus about his personal story and also his passion, hopes and vision for Plymouth.

Special Guest Bio - ROGER MASLIN

Roger Maslin started his career with the intention of being a pathologist but ended up as a Chartered Accountant, qualifying with Ernst & Whinney in 1985. He joined the brewers Courage Ltd and then Guinness before moving to the whisky giant, United Distillers, in 1991.

Roger joined Wembley Stadium as Finance Director in February 1999. Running a 90,000 capacity facility is not straightforward and it took the first few months to stabilise the business. Roger’s passion for Wembley to be world class persisted, becoming acting MD in August 2008 and finally MD a year later. The next few years were then focussed on transforming the business from a construction and administration project to a world class asset. Together with Chairman, Melvin Benn, Roger launched a vision that Wembley should deliver the best Stadium entertainment in the world.

After nearly 17 years, Roger decided that it was time to do something different and left Wembley on 2 October

2015, having hosted over 250 major events to 16 million fans, creating a £100m turnover business in the process.

Roger was seeking a cause or challenge where he could make a difference. He found one in Plymouth, following his recruitment as CEO for the National Marine Aquarium (NMA) where the Trustees asked Roger to put the “N” back in the “NMA” and thus help put Plymouth on the national and global map.

Compère Bio: DAVID FITZGERALD

David started work in local radio in 1980 and joined Television South West in 1986. He then moved around the ITV network before he joined Sky News.

He has produced television series on diverse topics such as farming, The Red Arrows, and Devon & Cornwall Police. His last Red Arrow series won The International Olympic Committee’s award of excellence.

In the past he has written for Spitting Image and has had five children’s books published, written with Falkland’s veteran, Simon Weston CBE. He has toured with a stage show telling Simon’s life story and has appeared on stages from Glasgow to Gibraltar.

He has worked for the BBC in the South West on BBC Radio Devon and on television with BBC Spotlight. He has hosted Royal Marine and Army shows around Europe, is a Lord Taverner and is their host for the South West fundraisers

He is a patron of The Devon Air Ambulance, Alabare and The Royal British Legion.

Photos from our evening!

Huge thanks to photographer James Stoner for capturing our evening!

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