Plymouth factory's birthday visit from the Queen
THE QUEEN and the Duke of Edinburgh have visited staff at Plymouth’s Wrigley’s factory.
The royal couple toured the Estover plant to help workers celebrate the 40th birthday of the factory.
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They were on a whistle-stop tour of Devon and spent about an hour at Wrigley’s. The factory was officially opened by the Duke 38 years ago.
The Queen and Duke met staff and members of the charitable arm of the company.
They also visited the ‘quality room’ and the health centre before unveiling a plaque commemorating the visit in the restaurant.
The visit this afternoon began with a colourful greeting from pupils of Estover Community and Leigham primary schools at the doors to the factory.
The Queen was dressed all in purple, with the Duke in a suit.
Lord Mayor Cllr Ken Foster and Lady Mayoress Cllr Wendy Foster also met the royal couple.
After the plaque was unveiled, the Duke asked the Lord Mayor if he had eaten Wrigley’s products before.
Cllr Foster replied that he used to – but not any more.
Staff at Wrigley’s, which employs more than 550 people throughout the UK, said there had been a ‘buzz’ around the visit.
About 50 redundancies were made at the factory last year. Receptionist Janet Keeble, who has worked at the factory for 21 years, said the visit was a ‘morale boost’.
On June 9, 1972, the Western Morning News reported that the Duke of Edinburgh visited Wrigley’s on a ‘fleeting two-and-a-half hour visit’ to Plymouth.
The report said he was led to the roof of the factory and shown a panoramic view of the estate.
Bosses said it was ‘fantastic’ for him to visit again.
Mixing operator Gordon Cook, 51, who has been at the factory for 20 years, said: “When they originally called me in to say the Queen was coming, I didn’t expect it!”
Ian Burton, managing director of Wrigley in the UK and Republic of Ireland, said, following the visit: “It was a very proud moment for us – for Wrigley’s and Plymouth.”
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25 Comments
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by chaos, hells kitchen
Saturday, March 13 2010, 2:16AM
“im surprised the blue bloods deemed the south west important enough to visit seeing as they and their puppet govenment have spent well over 3 decades killing off their links with the sth west, but a jaunt like this keeps the serfs in awe of their wisdom and spendour, should keep you all in your places for a few more years scraping a living whilst they and theirs jet off to dubia and other elite playgrounds months on end, but thats ok you just eat ya pot noodles and pasties while they dine on cavier and fine wines”
by Terry Feideveits, Lichtenstein
Friday, March 12 2010, 9:26PM
“So,Wrigleys are opening in Poland.I think I will buy some shares as chewing gum is simple to make and understand.”
by David, Plymouth
Friday, March 12 2010, 8:42PM
“I can't believe the "Harold" allowing some of these moaners here.”
by Employee, Plymouth
Friday, March 12 2010, 7:57PM
“As an employee of Wrigley I would like to say what a great day it was on Thursday. It was a once in a lifetime chance to meet the Queen and Prince Phillip. As for the negative comments on here, all of this talk of factory closure is getting a bit tiresome. Change the record! As one of Plymouths biggest employeers I find it sad that so many of you would appear to take glee in over 350 ppl in Plymouth being made redundant if this was to happen.”
by Fed up of whingers, plymouth
Friday, March 12 2010, 7:14PM
“Can anybody please tell me when this factory is closing. 10yrs ago it was it wont be there in 5 yrs and for the last 5 yrs its been it will be gone next yr. JJ Gum Poland has a factory, Czech Republic cant see it when Poland and Russia have factory's. Plymouth has has a successful Wrigleys for nearly 40 years and all the doom and gloom merchants do is slate it, this country is always the same anything that is a success is bad. Broken Britian at its bloody best.”
by rl, eggbuckland
Friday, March 12 2010, 6:27PM
“Good grief there are some ignorant fools on here. If you think that having an elected president every 5 years would be cheaper than the Royal Family, you are desperately wrong. Personally I think it is great she's come here to the bottom corner of the Country to say hello - a so what if it is a farewell to the factory, recognising some of the hardworking plymothians who work there is a good thing and might encourage other firms to come here and employ some themselves.”
by GOM, Plymouth
Friday, March 12 2010, 6:01PM
“She opened it 40 years ago and is ironically visiting just before it closes. Did they tell her about the new factory being built in the Czech Republic?”
by Richard, Plymouth
Friday, March 12 2010, 5:41PM
“The Royal Family are nothing but an inbred, benefit cheating, bunch of scroungers. If the Herald and other Daily Mail owned local papers were reporting about the Royal Family the same way they do about ordinary families in this city then the Herald would be calling them work shy benefit cheats.
If ordinary families had multiple council homes for the same family and claimed benefits for those multiple homes then the Herald would be asking its readers to shop them anomalously the local council for benefit fraud and for obtaining social housing fraudulently. Let¿s report the Queen then, she has numerous social housing homes in Windsor, around London, at Sandringham and at Balmoral.
And Dianna, Princess of Wales? She was a single mum living on benefits and the Daily Mail owned Herald does not like single mums.”
by johnno, pennycomequick
Friday, March 12 2010, 4:32PM
“Have lots of good memories of when the factory was built . myself and my father both worked on the construction , God save the Queen”
by ker, plymton
Friday, March 12 2010, 12:19PM
“wonder if wrigleys gave her some chewing gum!!!! haha”