About 120 people descended on a sun-kissed Bournemouth on Friday June 13 for the Southern Region Timber Trade Association (SRTTA) annual dinner.
The irrepressible Charlie Stockwell, vice-president of the SRTTA welcomed importers, distributors, sawmillers and merchants to the Highcliff Marriott Hotel – a stone’s throw from Bournemouth Pier – in what has become a popular evening event on the south coast.
Sponsors of the evening were Stockwell Forest Products, Altripan, Price & Pierce, James Latham, VIDA, and Morgan Direct. Other companies in attendance included Champion Timber, The Timber Group, MDM Timber, Södra, Moelven, Ante and Sydenhams, with many more making the journey to Dorset.
Entertainment was provided by Matt Daniel-Baker’s mind-reading and comedy. Matt is doing regular West End shows called The Mind Reader and has recommendations from David Walliams and Justin Timberlake.
An auction of a Liverpool FC match hospitality package raised £1,300 in aid of the Timber Trades Benevolent Society, with additional raffle fund-raising also going towards the charity.
“It was a fantastic evening, relaxed, with enjoyable company and pleasant surroundings,” said one trader.
A number of companies told TTJ on the evening that their recent sales levels had been decent, but several expressed concern about market fluctuations and the need for an improving trend in Q3.
