HELLESDON: Children had the chance to step back in time yesterday as Ridgeons celebrated its 100th birthday.
Around 60 pupils from Hellesdon came to the company's Reepham Road depot, in Hellesdon, as part of the celebrations, which also included a raffle to win a signed Norwich City shirt and trips in a horse drawn merchant's carriage pulled by two Suffolk Punch horses. A second event was also held at the Hall Road branch.
Tim Wigby, branch manager, said: "It was very good – everyone got into the spirit of it and some staff got dressed up in Edwardian costume. It was a traditional builder's merchants open day but with a twist."
This year marks a momentous occasion for regional builders' and timber merchants Ridgeons, as it celebrates a 100 years of trading. Cyril Ridgeon founded the company in 1911 from his home at St Barnabas Road, Cambridge.
Norwich's association with Ridgeons dates back to July 2000 when the group purchased the business and assets of G A Easter, which became the Norwich North branch and included an acre of land and a saw mill. In 2008, a second Norwich branch opened in Hall Road.
