01/10/2025
Hey there all!
We’ve finally been able to stop and gather ourselves after a quite frankly stomping year!
Looking back on what this year has held for us is bonkers. So much has happened, so many new things in such a caring, creative and progressive community.
We’ve a lot of thankyous to make and would like to take a moment to reflect on our experiences.
Firstly, we’d like to thank our members of staff, which have increased in number this year and will be growing again in the following. Charlie, Joe, Harmony, you have been the pillar which has kept us strong when our energies have been low. You have supported us through years and are one of the most important parts of what makes our companies great! Jo and Sam, it has been fantastic to have you both come on board and you have very quickly become a valued part of our event family. Thank you x
Not forgetting a thank you to Drake and Damon, who have helped out in the workshop making products and Phoebe who has also helped making things and been to many events with us!
Secondly, without the inclusion of the systems we’ve traded at this year, we wouldn’t have business! So, we would like to recognise and thank Profound Decisions, Curious Pastimes, Menhirs Fate, Herofest, Beyond Ragnarok, Orion’s Sphere and Ardent for allowing us to come and Trade at your events. And also thank you to all the volunteers that give up their time to bring them to life! You are awesome!
We have also attended and plan to attend kit fairs as well, so we’d also like to thank What’s Your Game and Labyrithe for allowing us to trade at your events and for allowing to come back year after year! We will next be at Big Day Down 2025, at Labyrithe, Chislehurst Caves Sunday 14th December. After that we will be at What’s Your Game in Gloucester on 7th & 8th March ’26.
Highlights for us have definitely been:
• The birth of a new system, Menhirs Fate, which has come along leaps and bounds in just a year! It’s brought lots of new players and given a refreshing new world to explore!
• At the beginning of the year, What’s Your Game held a kit fair in the very controversial site of Gloucester Prison as the usual site had pulled out. Whilst there were legitimate concerns of access, the organisers did a fantastic job of doing everything they could to minimise issues, and for us, the opportunity of being able to trade in a prison cell that had previously been set dressed as a morgue was an awesome adventure in itself!
• The friends we’ve made in the fields, new and old. We can’t tell you how lovely it feels to have people pop round our shop with smiles and stories and have giggles with us!
• The use of the new site at Weston-Under-Lizard. Featuring the sheep and deer when you drive in; the trees that have been spectacularly struck by lightning and left for everyone to see; the sheer amount of uninterrupted space.. We have been to this site multiple times this year and it’s a pleasure to be at!
We would also like to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to all our customers!
We do this job because of our love for the hobby and the people in it. You are a massive part of this! Without your support it simply wouldn’t be feasible to do this for a living!
So now we enter the winter period and spend our time recovering from the sheer amount we have done over the summer, and now take the time to look at new projects, builds and product lines. We’ve got a lot future plans and will be working toward making them all happen!
One last thing! We’re also massively looking forward to Empire’s new site is 2026! Cannot wait to see what the new setup is going to be like!
See you all at future events and fairs!
Thank you all again.
Gem and Kev
Gems Trading co.
Hack and Slash
