Patrick parties to celebrate his 70th!

Housewares veteran Patrick Gardner was treated to a surprise party for his 70th birthday last week – courtesy of all the employees at T&G Woodware.

The event was put on in the showroom of the Bristol kitchenware supplier, of which Gardner is founder and managing director.

He was presented with a metre-long wooden spoon signed by everyone in the company, and which can double up as a walking stick. The staff have also adopted a vine for him, which means having his name on a plaque, enjoying a day at the vineyard and receiving a follow-up invitation to return to harvest his grapes.

Stock control manager Dave Travis and warehouse manager Rob Hughes revisited Gardner’s past with a selection of photos of him from his youth to the present day, and everyone tucked into a bespoke 70th birthday cake sporting the T&G logo.

T&G’s head of marketing Jenny Handley told HousewaresLive.net that everyone at the company had managed to keep the party a total secret from the boss.

“It was a complete surprise and he was overwhelmed and loved it,” she said, “especially the fantastic cake made by one of the reps’ wives and, of course, the wooden spoon!”