UKIP West Midlands
MEP visit to trailblazing Stourbridge glassmaker
Thursday, 11th March 2010
UKIP MEP Mike Nattrass is to visit the birthplace of British glassmaking next week to celebrate the achievements of a firm which is proudly continuing that heritage.
The West Midlands MEP, who is a member of the EU’s Transport & Tourism Committee, is to visit Okra Glass in Wordsley next Monday (March 15) to learn more about a business which faced the economic recession head on and doubled its turnover last year.
During his visit Mr Nattrass will meet members of the Okra team at their artisan glass studios in Queen Street. Mike will be joined by Maddy Westrop who is UKIP’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate in Stourbridge.
The studio, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and its three highly skilled glass masters (Richard Golding, Dean Hopkins and Karinna Sellars) produce a wide range of iridescent glassware that is bought direct from the studio by private collectors.
Mike's family on his mother’s side came from Amblecote and Stourbridge, many working in the cut glass industry and some at The Dial Glassworks.
The Czar of Russia called for cut glass technology and some of Mike's family went to Vladimir in Russia to establish a new cut glass factory. Ahead of the Okra visit, Mike said: “Stourbridge is the birthplace of British glassmaking and I am pleased to see Okra continuing that fine tradition and heritage.
“My family was heavily involved in the industry and I am very much looking forward to visit to Okra Glass and meeting their highly skilled glass masters.
“Their success should be celebrated and I hope they enjoy and even busier year this year.” Maddy Westrop said: “What an excellent opportunity to celebrate innovation, enterprise and hard work in Stourbridge.
"Okra’s stunning success last year is even more impressive as it was made during a deep downturn in the economy.
“Let’s get real. Making things and trading them is the only way out of this recession. This is real wealth creation and a shining example of how this country can still compete internationally by being at the top of its game.
“We have to become a specialist skills and knowledge economy now. If we don’t, Labour’s unproductive public sector economy will bankrupt us.”
Glass master Richard Golding said: “I am very much looking forward to the visit. It will be quite interesting to talk to Mike.
“The success of Okra is around good design and maintaining top quality.
“The glass industry in Stourbridge has almost disappeared. This is the result of cheap imports and cheap labour,” he added.
