Jubilee Press Release
Press Release from Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham
Chancellor Rishi Sunak joins Richard Holden MP in visit to Consett flag makers ahead of Jubilee Celebrations
Richard Holden MP welcomed a North Eastern visit from the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, on Tuesday 31st May 2022.
In North West Durham’s Consett, Richard and Rishi were visiting Mandy Forster’s fantastic AA Flags factory – and together made some fantastic Jubilee bunting in anticipation of Her Majesty the Queen’s celebrations this weekend.
AA Flags was started by Mandy Forster over 30 years ago and now employs eight people in Consett. During the pandemic, Mandy managed to furlough some of her staff and has used some of the grants available to help rebuild her business post-pandemic.
Small businesses employ the majority of people in North West Durham and are often in the supply chains of other large local businesses. The manufacturing sector employs twice the amount of people in the North East of England compared to other parts of the UK – it is a vital part of our economy.
Commenting, Richard Holden said:
“Following Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, global prices for oil and gas have soared.”
“Just like during the pandemic, when Rishi stepped in with Furlough for workers and grants and assistance to local businesses, he’s doing the same now to help with rising global energy prices.”
“As we celebrate the Queen’s seven decades of dedicated service to our country and to the world, it is great to see local people making such great preparations to celebrate and a great local business in AA Flags playing its part in that.”
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said:
“I was delighted to visit Mandy and her team at AA Flags in Consett, with their hard-working local MP, Richard Holden.”
“Small businesses like Mandy’s are the absolute lifeblood of our economy and I was really pleased to hear how the Furlough helped keep them afloat during the pandemic and re-start grants and support have allowed them to bounce back even stronger.”
Mandy, the owner of AA Flags, said of the visit:
“It was really great to see Rishi on what has been a very busy period in getting everyone’s flags and bunting ready for the Jubilee celebrations.”
“I told the Chancellor that without his help, this business would not be here today. At the beginning of the pandemic, I had to make my staff redundant. The Furlough payments and Covid Recovery grant helped me rehire them and then also buy new equipment to increase our capacity in the flag factory.”
“I want to also thank Richard who has always been a great champion – and customer – of myself and AA Flags.”
Proud to have done our bit for the NHS by donating
fabrics for the manufacture of PPE during the Covid pandemic.
We are proud to be one of a very few traditional flag makers left in the UK remaining true to the original industry standards.
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AA Flags
Registered Office:
Unit 4B
Park Road South Industrial Estate
Consett,
Co Durham,
DH8 5PY
