On Thursday 29th January, I invited Helen Grant, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport and Tourism to visit Denby Pottery Visitor Centre, a popular tourist destination in the constituency. Denby Visitor Centre welcomes over 200,000 visitors annually to the site.
As the Minister responsible for Tourism, I wanted to show Helen Grant MP, what a fantastic job Denby do in attracting so many visitors to our constituency. Denby has been a tourist attraction for many year, as an early advocate of industrial tourism, Denby started by showing a local WI Group around the factory in 1952 and they have been showing the public around the factory ever since.
As we all know, Denby Pottery is not just a tourist destination, they are also a major local employer, currently employing 800 people – of which over 400 work at the Denby factory in Derbyshire – with a further 75 people employed at its popular Visitor Centre.
I was delighted to welcome the Minister to tour the factory and meet with the staff, whilst we were there, I even tried my hand at some pottery – I have to say it’s a lot harder than it looks! Please see photos below.
Following the visit to Denby Pottery, Mrs Grant said: “I was thrilled to tour this fantastic facility. The staff work incredibly hard to craft wonderful pottery which is sought by people all over the world.
“Denby Pottery is a great example of a thriving local tourist destination and I’d urge people to pass through its doors and discover for themselves its wonderful heritage.”
Retail Director, Gary Capell commented: “It was our pleasure to show Helen around Denby factory and Visitor Centre and we would like to thank her for taking the time out of her busy schedule. Derbyshire has much to offer visitors to the area and Denby is proud to be one of its key tourist attractions.”
For any of my constituents that haven’t been to tour Denby, I would definitely encourage you to go for a tour and see the team hard at work!
