Supporting the community where they do business is key to two companies that supply equipment to the offshore industry off the east coast.
Bolting specialists Gee-Force Hydraulics and its customer, crane services company Alatas, have once again joined forces as sponsors of Great Yarmouth’s historic town football club. Alatas is sponsoring the Bloaters’ first team’s amber and black striped kit, with Gee-Force backing its reserves’ strip. Graeme Cook, managing director of Gee-Force Hydraulics, based at Beacon Park, Gorleston, said putting back into the community was an important priority for any business.
“Richard De’Ath, of Alatas, and I enjoy our football. Having a local team is an important element of any community so being able to support something we enjoy was even better for us. “Great Yarmouth Town has a long history and has had some ups and downs so to be part of the club when it is ambitious and is working hard to build for a secure future is a good opportunity for us.”
Alatas, whose UK headquarters is in Bradford and engineering centre in Aberdeen, supplies cranes and lifting equipment for offshore platforms for the oil & gas industry out of Great Yarmouth.
“Increasing our business out of Great Yarmouth and our relationship with Gee-Force, that believes so much in Great Yarmouth and its future led us to support something that matters to the community. A shared interest in football led us to Great Yarmouth Town.”
Gee-Force Hydraulics consolidated its UK operation in Great Yarmouth last year, relocating from the north-west to focus on the oil & gas and offshore wind industry off Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. It supplies equipment to Alatas, that has 14 offices around the world.
Great Yarmouth Town Football Club has been a feature of the town since 1897 – its Wellesley Road ground has the country’s oldest stand – and has teams in its youth section from under 7s to under 18s and two senior sides, with its first team playing in the Eastern Counties Premier Thurlow Nunn division.
Great Yarmouth Town manager Adam Mason, a former Bloaters player, comments,
“Both companies have been very generous to us. Without this type of support from the business community, we would not be in the position we arein terms of our ambition. We need the finances behind us if we were to be promoted and move the higher in the football pyramid. The club has been through difficult times and these business relationships help to take the club forward as we look to create sustainability and plan for the future.” Great Yarmouth Town’s Wellesley Road ground has the country’s oldest stand.
