Back for the 3^rd year, the British Family Fayre is now less than 2 weeks away (www.britishfamilyfayre.co.uk).

It was touch and go, following last years event, whether we would  put on the British family Fayre again. The first 2 years were undoubtedly a remarkable feat for a simple family like us to achieve – national media headlines, 5,000+ visitors each year, a stage full of acts, charity auctions and a lot more.  We are very proud of it all, but the level of pressure it placed on us was frankly untenable.

Oddly, the British Family Fayre this year is likely to double the number of visitors and has significantly more attractions but for us it has been considerably less stressful. This is all down to our partnership with the Historic Chatham Dockyard and their ‘Salute to the 40’s’ event.  Thankfully joining this existing, extremely popular, event has taken much of the logistical and organisation challenges out of our annual celebration. So, this year you get 2 great shows on one of Britain’s most iconic sites (and we get to preserve our marriage). To us this sounds like a win for everyone.

However, this is all very easy for us to complain about the resources needed to put on a show of this scale. Most of the effort this year has been undertaken by the guys at Lincoln West.  For 3 years they have worked with us to put on this celebration of British Manufacturing (and have never earned a penny for it). They truly are wonderful people!

The British Family Fayre 2015 is shaping up to be an exciting event, even more jam-packed with family fun than ever before. We look forward to seeing you there.

James & Emily Bradshaw

NOTE:  I suspect that if you were looking to book in as a business you might be too late… however give Lincoln West a call just in case. Tell them we sent you and they might be able to fit you in. 😉

We have attempted to create a timeline of some of Britain’s oldest manufacturers. If you know a manufacturer that should be on our list please comment below.

Whitechapel Bell Foundry – 1570

The top stop and the title of Britain’s oldest manufacturer must surly go to Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Still situated in the East End of London they have been casting bells since Queen Elizabeth I graced the throne.

Firmin & Sons – 1655

Firmin established in 1655 the second oldest manufacturer  in the United Kingdom who manufacture badges, buttons, accoutrements and uniforms and holders of two Royal Warrants of Appointment. Based in Birmingham.

Robert Noble – 1666

Robert Nobel have been weaving cloth in Scotland since 1666, including tartans for the Scottish regiments as early as the 1880s. They also designed fabrics for the English Houses of Parliament.

Mornflake Oats Ltd – 1675

Based in South Cheshire, Mornflake have been milling oats and cereals since 1675. Basically, their high fibre products have been keeping Britain’s regular for  over 300 years.

James Lock & Co Ltd – 1676

Founded in 1676, James Lock & Co claim the “widest selection of ladies’ and gentlemen’s headwear in the world”. Most of thier mens hats are made for them in Britain by a specialist manufacturer in Manchester, although most of their ladies hats are made on site, where we employ three full-time milliners and a designer.

Toye, Kenning & Spencer – 1685

Located in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, the firm specialises in insignia and regalia, such as the ribbons and medals presented to awardees of OBEs and CBEs. The firm started as artisan silk weavers before it began decorating soldiers in the mid 1800s.

Shepherd Neame – 1698

Britain’s oldest brewer, based in Faversham, Kent produces 230,000 barrels a year and now has 360 pubs in the UK.

Salts Healthcare – early 1700s (true date unknown)

Salts Healthcare is based in Aston, Birmingham. It manufactures ostomy and orthotic products.

Aspall Cyder – 1728

For eight generations Aspall have been making their famous cyder. With the recent resurgence in of cider products over the last few years it would seem their future is secured for a few more years to come.

Wilsons & Co – 1760’s

While the market for Snuff here in the UK might be small Wilsons & Co have ben making the stuff here for well over 200 years.

Richard Carter Ltd – 1740

Richard Carter are hand tool manufacturers famous for their Carter shovels.

Just some of the things we found marked ‘made in Italy’

Don’t worry, we have not turned out back on all things British made, but we have just come back off our first foreign family holiday in 5 years. Our plan was to forget all about our day jobs, the British Family Fayre, the Britipedia directory, the made in Britain logo and our various British manufacturing campaigning projects to simply relax for one week in the sunshine of southern Italy. However, old habits die hard.

Today we traveled back from the wonderful island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples. Lucan spent just about every waking moment in the swimming pool and actually swam for the firm time unaided in the luxurious thermal pool at our chosen hotel. We all ate our fill of fantastically fresh food and enjoyed the welcoming hospitality of our Italian hosts. In short, while we have had a fantastic holiday. However, it was hard, while there, not to begin to draw some parallels between what the Italians appear to have preserved that we, in the UK, seem to have all but lost.

First off it is clear that the Brits’ and the Italians’ relationships to food differ wildly. The Italians have an obvious reverence for their home grown produce. We ate nothing but fresh, seasonal meat, fish, fruit and veg at every meal. There were also delis filled to the brim with nothing but local ingredients. One deli in particular we visited, the owner was passionate and knowledgeable about his products beyond what I have ever experience in the UK. He even produced his own fabulous cheese at the back of the shop. No one will perhaps be surprised that the food we ate was, without exception, grown in Italy (could a tourist to the UK say the same?). But what really took us aback was the quantity and range of stuff in shops that was stamped ‘made in Italy’.

While we wanted to leave it all behind for a week, our habit of picking stuff up and looking where it was made stuck with us throughout our trip. And it felt like everything we looked at was proudly emblazoned with the made in Italy stamp. From toiletries to clothing and from playing cards to hair dryers they were all made domestically. It certainly became clear to us that the Italians have not given up on, or casually sold off, their manufacturing as we have. One of the big surprises for us was going into a toyshop to buy Lucan a gift, him falling in love with a plastic model boat and it having the words made in Italy on impressed on the bottom. I challenge you to go into any high street toyshop in the UK and find anything made in Britain. You will be looking a very long time I assure you.

Of course the high street on Ischia still had a great number of Far Eastern imports but I would say they were outnumbered 2-1 by Italian made products. This is a startling contrast to UK high streets where perhaps less than 1% of anything you find will be British made. This seems to be fulled by a consumer demand and passion for Italian made, or Italian grown, products.  A mindset that is lacking in the majority of the British population. It has always been our contention that it would be consumer demand that would drive the manufacturing revolution here in the UK. Our trip to Italy has reaffirmed this to us.

Back from Italy refreshed an energised we are more keen than ever to get the UK buying British.

– James