‘A great honour’ - Family behind a popular South Shields fish and chip shop invited to Buckingham Palace
Members of the Colmans family were invited to the first royal garden party of the season.
The family behind South Shields’ Colmans have rubbed shoulders with the Royal Family for the second time in a matter of weeks.
Richard and Dominic Colman Ord, alongside with their respective partners Alex and Georgia, attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace after accepting an invitation from Ms Lucy Winskell, the Lord Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear.
Each summer, the Royal Family hosts three garden parties at Buckingham Palace and one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Scotland.
The Colman family were among the among the first guests from the North East to attend this year’s garden parties - with everyone who attends known for making a difference to their local communities.
It came just weeks after HRH The Princess Royal paid a visit to Colmans Seafood Temple, on Sea Road, in South Shields at the start of April.
As well as meeting Princess Anne again, Richard, Dominic, Alex and Georgia also met King Charles and Prince Edward, along with other senior royals.
‘An amazing day’
Richard has stated that it was a “great honour” to be invited to Buckingham Palace as the family celebrates the 100th year of Colmans fish and chips in South Tyneside.
He said: “As the fifth generation of South Shields Colmans it was a great honour to represent our family at the Palace.
“It was an amazing day and a little bit different to hosting HRH The Princess Royal at our restaurant.
“It was a truly memorable experience to meet King Charles and share a few words on what we do and what our family business means to us.
“As we celebrate our centenary it’s moments like this that will live with us forever and we’re extremely proud to represent South Shields and South Tyneside on the national stage.”
Future plans
The event has also shed further light on the family’s plans to launch the Colmans Foundation and the creation of a coastal village in South Shields.
Richard added: “We were able to tell the King about some of the things that we’re doing but we didn’t have time to go into all of it - he’s a busy man.
“Safe to say there will be plenty happening throughout our centenary year.
“The focus right now is on breaking ground on the coastal village and giving the Colmans Foundation the launch it deserves.”