GLOVE TRADE NEWS

ANCIENT COLOURS FOR LEATHER WORKERS

Pittards was more colourful than usual on 19 April when it received an official visit from the Master and Renter Warden of the Worshipful Company of Glovers of London.

The Master of this ancient City of London livery company, Mr Keith Ebsworth, was dressed in full regalia to attend a special long-service presentation at Yeovil's famous leather making company. He was accompanied by Renter Warden Mr Christopher Dadson and their wives.

The Master presented seven employees at Pittards with certificates to acknowledge 25 years or more of continuous service. These were Brian McCormick (buffing operative); Peter Evans (Team Leader, bovine tanyard); Sally Hillier (synchro operative); Jon Loxston (Operations Director); Paul Machin (top finish operative); Robin Ward (top finish manager) and Peter Curwen (slocombe staking operative).

Pittards has a tradition of long serving employees and its 25 Year Club now has over 50 members.

"The last quarter of a century has seen enormous changes in our business," said Pittards' CEO Mr Reg Hankey. "All these employees started before computers ran so many aspects of our lives; and in recent years they have seen us expand to include our new leather and products manufacturing facilities in Ethiopia, our acquisition of renowned leather goods makers Daines and Hathaway, the establishment of our own leather fashion brand and of course the opening of our exciting new retail outlet and coffee shop in Yeovil.

"Without the help of these and all our other dedicated workers, none of this could have happened and we thank them for their loyalty and enthusiasm. We were also of course delighted that the Master and Renter Warden of the Worshipful Company of Glovers could join us for this event."

The Worshipful Company of Glovers of London was formed in 1349 by glove makers in London to protect the high standard of their craft. Today it is a modern organisation active in the British glove industry and the training of young people. Pittards started in 1826 when Charles Pittard started working in leather in Yeovil and has grown to become a recognised leader in the development and production of beautiful and technical leathers.

Above:Pittards CEO Reg Hankey (far left) with Brian McCormick; Peter Evans; Paul Machin; Robin Ward; Peter Curwen and Jon Loxston receiving long service certificates. Also in the picture are Pittards Sales Director Mike Dodd, Worshipful Company of Glovers Master Keith Ebsworth and his wifeValerie, Renter Warden Christopher Dadson and his wife Valerie and Pittards Finance Director Jill Williams.

The Golden Glove Award

Michael Southcombe, Chairman of Southcombe Brothers Ltd writes:-

Southcombe Brothers were delighted and proud to win the coveted Golden Glove Award for 2011 for "Innovation" from the Worshipful Company of Glovers of London, presented by The Master, Mr Roderick Morriss TD DL, at The Livery Luncheon at Carpenters' Hall on Tuesday February 8th for their Firemaster® "Ultra" Fire-fighting Glove. The glove, which uses their own Pyrohide® Leather, will be extensively used by the South Eastern Consortium of Fire Brigades, beginning this Spring.

Amongst Southcombe's guests at the luncheon were David Southcombe, Managing Director; Peter Dawson, Director Cosalt Plc, who won the contract as the prime vendor with Mrs Arlene Hackett, Mrs Suzanne Prince from W.L Gore who supply Crosstech® Insert, Ian Moses PPE Manager - Grampian Fire and Rescue Service and Jeremy Dawkins, Executive Sales for Fire-fighting Gloves from Southcombe Brothers, who collected the Award on behalf of our Company. The Golden Glove Award is made annually by a special committee of the Glovers Company.

The Firemaster® Ultra Fire-fighting Glove

The Glove Trade returns to the fold - 1349 revisited!

After some years' absence whilst the modern glove trade ploughed its own trade association furrow through the Glove Guild of Great Britain and the National Association of Glove Manufacturers, the current trade association body, The British Glove Association, has agreed to wind up its commercial activity and merge back into the Worshipful Company of Glovers, where the glove trade's first organisation was formed in 1349.

In a diverse and modern international business, where industrial gloves are represented by the safety industry, and dress gloves by the many bodies supporting the fashion trade, many of the needs of the glove trade lie outside of the remit of the BGA, but the Worshipful Company of Glovers, through its aim to support and promote the glove trade, is able to offer the perfect forum for many trade activities.

In fact, through its close association with the trade, many glove makers and importers are Liverymen, and have maintained direct links to business through the Company's Glove Trade Liaison Committee. It is this committee that will now effectively steward much of the previous business of the British Glove Association - most notably the student Glove Design and Safety Poster Competitions, which have run successfully for many years, supported by prize funds from the Livery, as a means to raise the profile of gloves with modern design and fashion students.

"I think it is a positive step that we have identified a future for the Glove Trade Association", said BGA President, John Spanner; "without this move, prospects for the Trade Association were quite bleak, as the recent decline in heavy industry and construction in the UK has impacted our Industrial and Safety membership and our fashion base becomes more diverse and offshore orientated."

For the Livery, new Master Roderick Morriss commented, "Having served as BGA President in the past, I am delighted that the Livery can embrace its original trade in this way and, in line with Livery aims and objectives, do more for, and be more involved with, the art and science of gloves in the 21^st Century".

Pittards Breakthrough with Major new Military Order

Pittards, the British leather specialist, has agreed a new seven figure contract which will see the UK armed forces issued with some of the most technically advanced leather gloves available.

The Company have secured a deal to supply the leather in support of a four year MoD military contract. The contract follows the launch of a new camouflage leather developed at Pittards' major research department in Yeovil, Somerset.

The leather to be used is based on the MoD's recently completed new Multi-Terrain Pattern camouflage design and will also include a host of technical advances which will be of specific benefit to the UK armed forces and especially available for personnel deployed in Afghanistan.

"The armed forces, in Afghanistan particularly, are operating across a wide range of environments including desert, woodland, crops, grassland and stone" said Mr George Stent, Pittards' Sales Director who worked with the MoD to finalise the contract.

"For the first time, personnel will be issued with just one pattern for both desert and woodland terrain, meaning they will have ultimate camouflage wherever their operations take them," he said. "Our new military leather is based on this but also includes a number of required additional key technical benefits such as resistance to water, perspiration and oil, plus long life and robustness. There is also another key component - long-lasting supple flexibility to ensure the gloves will give an absolutely perfect fit to ensure ease of handling equipment and weapons."

"With this innovative new leather, the MOD is ensuring that the British service personnel will be provided with some of the best leather gloves of this type" he added.