Publisher’s founder celebrates as great-granddaughter steals the show
It was a real family affair for the Noel Tatt Group at Spring Fair as the founder and namesake had just celebrated his 95th birthday – and the next generation in the shape of five-month-old Klara Tatt was on stealing-the-show duty.
Naturally, greeting cards were at the centre of the celebrations with great-grandad Noel’s special cake featuring iced copies of some of the publisher’s current designs.
Klara enjoyed a cuddle with Noel at the family party just before Spring Fair, then she was whisked up to Birmingham’s NEC by mum and dad Chloe and Andreas Tatt for her trade show baptism.
“Chloe is export manager and customer services manager so had appointments with customers,” explained operations manager Andreas, whose dad is Noel’s son and current MD Jarle, and mum Diane is still design director although retired now, but keeping her creative hand in by embroidering the company logo on to Klara’s outfit.
While Chloe is still on maternity leave she was putting her keeping-in-touch days to good use, and Andreas laughed: “This did mean that Klara and I spent a lot of time wandering around the show, primarily looking at all the colourful, bright flashing lights and balloons!”
Noel started the company in 1953 after a chance meeting with an artist specialising in local scenes, investing in a small printing press which was housed in a rented attic space in Folkestone, and the business is still family-run and thriving in rural premises on the outskirts of nearby Canterbury.
“Noel was thoroughly spoilt with a very appropriate cake based on some of our current designs,” Andreas added, “and now Klara’s first Spring Fair is under her belt there’ll be many more in the coming years no doubt – perhaps she’ll take after my dad and I by following our father’s footsteps!”
