Brett Celebrates Portsmouth International Port's 50th Anniversary With The Local Community

Since establishing an aggregates terminal and concrete plant at Portsmouth International Port, Brett has become part of a thriving maritime and business community – a community that recently came together to celebrate the Port's 50th anniversary at a free-to-attend, jam-packed open day.

More than 2,200 local residents and their families were welcomed to Portsmouth International Port, where they had the opportunity to learn about the Port, its role within the local community and the businesses that call it home.

Throughout the day, visitors were given behind-the-scenes access to explore a variety of ships and machinery used by the Port and its business partners. Alongside the companies in attendance was a team from Brett Aggregates, who organised a Brett stand with Sheona Drew, Customer Services Manager at Brett Aggregates, at the helm.

Sheona and the team welcomed a number of visitors throughout the day as the stand quickly became a popular attraction. People were eager to learn more about the business, climb into the driver's seats of a stationary aggregates tipper and digger, take part in the Brett rock painting competition and explore a collection of salvaged items dredged up from the seabed.

Ben Johnson, Operations Manager – South Coast at Brett Aggregates, who helped set up the Brett stand on the day, said: “It was rewarding to see so many people taking an interest in how our teams, vehicles and equipment support the movement of construction materials to and from the Port. Events like this are a brilliant way to give people an insight into the role our people and materials play in delivering construction projects across the region.

“Everyone from the Brett team did a fantastic job on the day, particularly Sheona for coordinating the stand and Will Gaskin, HGV Driver at Brett Aggregates, for helping visitors safely experience the vehicles.”

The day also gave local businesses an opportunity to showcase their operations to the public with activities including harbour tours aboard a cruise vessel, trips on a bunker barge used to refuel ships, and tugboat displays across the harbour.

Ben added: “We have built some great relationships within the local community since arriving at Portsmouth and have supplied a number of projects, including a new habitat for native oysters in Chichester, while our sister company, Brett Concrete, has delivered material much closer to home for Portico’s new warehouse units.

“It has been a pleasure to see Brett colleagues, local people, and businesses come together to celebrate a major milestone for the Port, and we look forward to continuing our strong relationships in the area.”

Mike Sellers, Portsmouth International Port’s Director, said: “The commitment from our staff and port partners, paired with some fantastic weather, gave us the perfect day to showcase our port and the work that goes on here.

“Seeing the engagement from everyone who attended really solidified the role we play in the city, and we hope it inspired some future maritime workers. Throughout the year, we have been marking 50 years of the port being operated by Portsmouth City Council, and the open day brought this celebration to the residents and the people who own it.”