FPC attends Bradford St James Market Annual Dinner 2011

Bradford St James Market Annual Dinner is a great occasion and we were honoured to be invited to join the fabulous celebration of this award winning market. Noel Kershaw (MD of Delifresh) is the Market Tenants Association President and a great supporter of FPC.

Noel and his colleagues share a passion for the industry which is impressive and self evident at the annual dinner. We met Harry & Marylin Crawford from Get Fresh in Northern Ireland and it was great to see old friends including Kershaw brothers Simon and Johnathan, EWT's John Marshall, Paul King, Zaf Butt, Christian Paynton. It is guys like these who are changing the face of our industry - they have the ability to celebrate their roots while breaking old prejudices and crossing boundaries to work together to succeed in today's market. We also met new friends Harry and Marylin Crawford from Get Fresh in Northern Ireland.

Entrepreneurial and forward thinking, in 2007 Noel established the United Fresh Consortium which brought together partners to work collectively in order to supply accounts on a national basis but based on regional supply. The UFC supplies a number of leading national chains including Hilton Hotels and has invested to develop the business to become a serious alternative to some of the national food service distributors. Delifresh supplies both group and independent hotels/restaurants throughout the north of England, with a secondary facility in Newcastle.

As President of the Tenants Association, Noel works with tenants and the council implementing cost reduction initiatives, increasing revenue streams and investment to increase its profile and the overall trading experience for customers. It was recently awarded NABMA's prestigious best Wholesale Market in the UK in 2011!

The annual dinner supports a local charity and this year the Annette Fox Leukaemia Research Fund www.annettefox.co.uk was the focus. We dined with representatives of the charity who work tirelessly to raise money - recently funding a new ward in the local hospital. With Paul King's auctioneering skill the event raised in excess of £10k in support of this remarkable charity in memory of Noel's mum and the late Donald Grimshaw who suffered a rare form of leukemia.

We were delighted to see Rosa, wife of the late Donald Grimshaw who died last September. Escorted by her grandson, who bares a stark resemblance to his grandfather, this was another great example of the all encompassing community spirit at the heart of the market and a tribute to Donald's commitment over many years.

The venue was the most exquisite Princes Ballroom at the famous, historical Midland Hotel in the centre of Bradford. The hotel was a showpiece for the railway company's northern operations and is of particular architectural interest with some of the finest Victorian interiors in the city including the Victorian Passageway with its floor to ceiling Burmantoft tiles. The ornate plasterwork in the ballroom is rivaled only by similar examples in London with high ceilings, glittering chandaliers with an opulence of an era long past. Almost every Prime Minister has stayed in the hotel along with the rich and famous in its heyday including Laurel & Hardy, Paul Robeson, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In 1905 Sir Henry Irving died on the main staircase after his appearance at the nearby Theatre Royal!

No deaths on the main staircase on this occasion - just the odd happy stifled stagger with champagne in hand, on the way to the late bar for a spontaneous sing song in pure Rat Pack fashion!

Another great event with superb food, fine wines and fabulous hospitality - we wish Bradford St James Wholesale Market continued success and we look forward to the next visit - and a promised famous Bradford curry!