ASPECTS of Poole that are sometimes ‘overlooked’ were celebrated at a special event which took place at the Civic Centre.

The Daily Echo-backed ‘Celebrating Poole’ initiative was organised by the council to show off the very best of the borough, particularly in the field of business.

Ian Girling, chief executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry, spoke about Poole’s “fantastic offering” at the event, listing its various assets – some of which are “quite easy to overlook” – and the “world-class global brands” it is home to including Sunseeker, Lush and Ryvita.

“I think Poole’s suffered a bit press-wise recently, and actually there are some fantastic things about this town, and this is a good opportunity to reflect on what we have,” he said.

“Obviously, we need to plan for the future. Poole’s an incredible place with some amazing businesses. It’s a vibrant, buoyant area. So we’re really pleased to be supporting it.”

He added: “I think the engineering and manufacturing sector is a massive sector for the Poole area, and often you’ll find these businesses that are tucked away, quietly doing their own thing. But when you go into the businesses and find out, they’re doing amazing things. They are unsung heroes.”

Six keynote speakers, including Sunseeker’s chief executive Phil Popham, and Stuart Bartholomew from the Arts University Bournemouth, addressed the invitation-only event.

Sunseeker, which exports to more than 50 countries, employs 2,300 people in Dorset and Poole and has won numerous accolades, including multiple Queens Awards for Enterprise.

Other businesses and organisations represented included Lush, marine electronic company Actisence, fume extraction technology firm BOFA, and software manufacturer TDSi.

The presentations for the evening included talks by BOFA’s Tony Lockwood, Poole Hospital consultant general and laparoscopic surgeon Professor Tas Qureshi, and Poole councillor Ian Potter, who presented an overview of the borough’s approach to regenerating Poole, including updates on major developments.