A parliamentary reception to celebrate Women & Manual Trade’s (WAMT) 40th anniversary was held on 17 November.

The event, co-hosted by Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins, supported and recognised the need to get more women into manual trades, something Mr Mullins has long been an a huge advocate for.

As a patron of the charity, Mr Mullins took to the stage alongside Maria Miller MP, the Chair of the Women & Equalities Select Committee, and former cabinet minister Rt Hon Baroness Garden of Frognal and Enoma Igiehon, WAMT Chair.

To demonstrate exactly why it’s vital to get more women into trades, Pimlico Plumbers brought along two of its female plumbers, Jessica and Daisy, and two of their current apprentices, Jodie and Chloe. The women are all fantastic assets to the company and were able to show just how important the availability of apprenticeships is in encouraging young women to consider a manual trade.

Also in attendance was Pimlico Plumbers recruitment manager Rachael and apprentice Louise, who were able to talk about the recruitment side of things.

Enoma Igiehon gave a rounding speech calling for women on the tools to be the norm and not the exception, a statement which Pimlico Plumbers fully supports and hopes to achieve through their apprenticeship and recruitment programme.