No matter how busy we are in Parliament, or at the Ministry of Defence, I always try to undertake as many constituency visits as possible. This remains one of the great privileges – and pleasures – of being a Member of Parliament; particularly so when you represent South Suffolk!
Two of my most recent visits had a joint theme which may not be immediately apparent, but nevertheless is one which offers the kind of hope for the future that is so vital in these challenging times. The first was attending Ormiston Sudbury Academy a few weeks ago; the second was last Friday, when I saw the state of production at GCB Cocoa’s chocolate factory – located at the former Philips Avent site in Glemsford. The link between the two? Large scale investment.
We said at the time that GCB’s takeover of the factory in the autumn of 2020, which otherwise could have lain dormant for years, almost certainly represented the largest ever single private sector inward investment into this locality. Likewise, whilst there is not currently a publicly available estimate of the financial quantum in relation to the new school construction at Ormiston Sudbury Academy, we are delighted to have secured the scale of investment that is likely to be in the many millions. It is also likely to be one of the largest ever financial investments into the town – not least in the public realm.
In both cases, I battled hard with fellow stakeholders to make the case for investing in South Suffolk to successfully win the respective financial commitments – not least, as a national level politician, by working with the key central Government departments: the then Department of International Trade in the case of GCB, and the Department of Education’s School Rebuilding Programme in the case of Ormiston Sudbury Academy. Inevitably, such major undertakings have a set timescale to deliver their ambitious goals.
As far as GCB’s factory is concerned, I last visited in February 2023 when the factory was gearing up to formally start production in time for Easter, the busiest season in the chocolatiers’ calendar. Forward to today, and visiting the plant is a chance to witness a really cutting-edge facility, laid out to maximise flexibility of production so that the firm can compete and win new orders, and then deliver a high-quality product for the customer. This includes the chance to include new lines of product type that cater for the ever-changing pallet of today’s consumer, such as dairy-free alternatives, and other niches.
Naturally, this sits alongside more mainstream output. For example, some of the chocolate drops I saw coming off the production line en masse will end up adorning the caterpillar cakes produced by one of our most popular supermarkets. I have to confess that when asked to sample the product, I happily obliged – the result was delicious chocolate, made on our doorstep. More importantly, that means jobs and investment close to home.
As such, I’m delighted to confirm that GCB Cocoa will be one of the many excellent local businesses on display at my third annual Jobs’ Fair, held this year in conjunction with Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. The event will take place on Monday 4th March at Sudbury Arts Centre on Market Hill. It’s free to attend and will run from 9.30am – 12.30pm for the general public, with a further afternoon session for local secondary schools.
GCB will be advertising positions for roles including Chocolate Manufacturing Process Operators and a Manufacturing Manager. Wouldn’t it be great if the first such event at our newly renovated venue in the heart of Sudbury was to connect local people with these roles? Certainly, previous fairs have had notable successes, helping firms to recruit at a time when that remains one of their biggest challenges.
Of course, Ormiston Sudbury Academy will be one of the schools in attendance for the afternoon session, and there will also be a number of stalls with information on education opportunities – including apprenticeships and further education. As to the timing on their new building, we will receive a further formal update on the project in the coming weeks – but it remains an incredibly important and positive project for Sudbury.
Our newest factory is growing production and jobs; a new school is in the offing; a jobs fair at our multi-million-pound new venue in the town, and that’s on top of £250,000 lottery funding announced this week for Gainsborough’s House. I know these have been tough times at home and abroad, but we are planting the seeds for local growth and success to support the next generation.
Published in the Suffolk Free Press.
