Thanks to Christina at Green Umbrella I have finally been press-ganged into writing my first blog for Susan Rose China and been given the topic of reviewing our work in 2018.
How to summarise a whole years work I ask myself?
Rather than list our activities by month which I found rather too reminiscent of a round-robin Christmas letter ( only recently consigned to the recycling bin ) I have decided to try and summarise by topic.
Weddings
Getting married continues to provide Susan Rose China with a steady supply of work. We love working with The Wedding Present Company who continue to provide us with a steady supply of orders from the engagement announcement through to the wedding and onto the birth announcements – like night follows day! In 2018 there were 2 high profile weddings which we were pleased to be a very small part of.
Dinner Services
An area we would like to expand in 2019 once we have figured out how to improve our website. We completed several dinner services for newly weds in 2018 and remain firmly convinced having your own dinner service pattern on English bone china can’t be beaten. The idea has been updated from the past when you routinely received an entire matching set of everything.Today couples are focused on a limited range of the basics to which they can add as the years unfold. Still deeply personal, beautiful and very durable for daily use.
Military
After Susan and Viv visited Sandhurst early in the year to sponsor the All Arms Pace Sticking competition we have added more regiments to the list of Susan Rose China recipients including the Gurkhas, Royal Engineers and some of the Royal Armoured Corps. After doing a bit of research I am pleased to find there are 17 infantry regiments, 9 armoured corps regiments, 4 reserve regiments and 5 combat support arms regiments in The British Army. And then there is the Navy and Royal Air Force …. Plenty more people to enlighten on the benefits of having china made from English bone china. We need to circulate the video of Susan standing on a bone china plate to demonstrate it’s strength. No sign of cracking (honest).
Polar
Susan has been made vice-chair of Friends of the Scott Polar Institute (FOSPRI) this year which has only strengthened her determination to visit Antarctica. Our visit to the Arctic in 2015 seems a long time ago (and was so much nearer). I have been playing her youtube videos of ships in rough seas to try and put her off but sadly it doesn’t seem to have dampened her determination! She has taken to recruiting any of our friends who will listen to become members of FOSPRI and put their names down for an Antarctic trip in 2021.
Her interest continues to inspire a range of polar themed china and has meant we have produced a mug full of history for Robert Scottin 2018 to complement the one she has done for Ernest Shackleton. It is exciting to think he might win the BBC Icons title.
In 2018 we have also worked with The Gilbert White Museum in Hampshire – it is a fascinating collection celebrating Gilbert White and the Oates Collection – https://gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk/
Schools and Universities
Viv seems determined to recruit every school in the UK to her list of recipients of a Susan Rose China Mug! In 2018 we have enjoyed working with Warwick School, The High School Glasgow, St Peters School, Luckley House, Hurstpierpoint School, Friends of Brandeston School, Gordonstoun, Rugby School, Blundells School, Bryanston School, St Edmunds College, The Loughborough Foundation, Universities of Kent and Exeter, Trinity College Cambridge, Halliford School, Dragon School, St Mary’s School, Birkenhead School, Dean Close, Ynsmaerdy Primary School, Harrow School and she even spread her tentacles across the world to Ruyton Girls’ School in Australia. We hope to grow her reach further in 2019 and are talking to the new wave of English schools in the Far East.
A recent comment left on our website from Hurstpierpoint College
‘We have recently received our third order of mugs from Susan Rose China. As always, we are delighted with the design, the packaging and delivery. Viv is extremely helpful and efficient and nothing is too much trouble. Thank you’
Corporate
Viv doesn’t confine herself to schools and has managed to persuade several large companies of the benefits of a quality product which will last. We have loved working with Stifel this year and have enjoyed a new relationship with Birchall Tea which does seem a natural fit. I hope more people may decide the benefit of drinking from bone china is worth the investment and might save us from having to watch programmes about our planet drowning in plastic. Here’s hoping ..
Follow this link to listen to Sir David Attenborough’s message on plastic.
Bookworm Mug
Susan decided to adapt her bookworm mug for the Coffeehouse Readers in 2018. It is a Facebook group with over 10,000 members. No coincidence her sister, Barbara Claypole White, is one of the founding members. Susan’s bookworm mug design celebrates the writing of over 30 female British authors.
Follow this link to have a look at a UK version of the bookworm mug or this link to purchase the US version from Susan Rose China’s Facebook shop.
Bespoke China
We continue to offer a bespoke service for corporate and retail clients. There is no limit to the design ideas.
There are too many examples to describe them all.
A cake plate to celebrate a 20th wedding anniversary with customer’s feedback
‘Susan’s artwork and creativity helped make my 20th wedding anniversary the occasion I hoped it would be. My wife was so pleased with her gifts! And we now have two pieces of china that we will treasure! Can’t wait to think of a reason to come back to Susan to ask her to make something else!’
Susan has been a practice member of the Church of England all our her life. No doubt influenced by her late Father who was a vicar in the parish of Felmersham in Bedfordshire. Susan is a church warden and a member of the lay band who is often found in Badby Church on a Sunday morning leading the family service. She was very pleased to receive a commission from Lambeth Palace in 2018 to mark the visit of His Eminence Ahmed el-Tayyeb, The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif to meet Tony Blair.
Keep reading – only a couple more …
Horse Racing
We continue to supply various horse racing courses with prizes and are pleased to continue working with Warwick, Exeter and Bath.
We have reached across the pond to Maryland once again and hope to continue to offer a quality produce and superb personal service.
‘Working with Susan Rose China really is a pleasure. They are incredibly organised with helping us order new stock, they are always friendly and helpful and most importantly, the quality of the product is always absolutely perfect. We would whole heartedly recommend any business to use them’
Yacht Clubs
Since we first worked with the Royal Yacht Squadron we have loved producing trophies for yacht clubs and were pleased to offer our services to the Queensland Cruising Yacht Club in 2018 – just wish it had needed a personal visit to ensure quality or something. Anything in fact!
Lastly…
Our thanks to the British Legion who have continued to commission further mugs to expand their range of Susan Rose China in 2018 culminating with the very successful armistice mug. Susan has now done a mug design for each year of the First World War, VE Day, WWI, Falklands War, RAF100, Armistice, Members Mug with more on the way. Look out for the mugs commemorating The Navy, The Army, and The RAF and 75 years from D-Day…
And finally…
I must not forget to mention the workshop. We have been working with Andy Graham at IC Printing Ltd for several years. In 2016 we moved our workshop from Newnham and took up residence in a couple of rooms upstairs at Andy’s workshop in Longton. In October we finally took the plunge and bought his business. We continue to work together to amalgamate the two companies and mould a great team
