ARGYLE have extended their successful partnership with Westcountry food giants Ginsters.
The award-winning Callington-based company will continue to be the Championship club's main sponsors for another two seasons.
The new deal, which will see Ginsters' instantly familiar logo adorn the famous Argyle green and white shirts until 2009, maintains a thriving relationship between two of the Westcountry's most well recognised names that began five seasons ago.
Argyle chairman Paul Stapleton said: "We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Ginsters, and proud to wear their logo on our shirts.
"They have been our valued partners for five years now and it is entirely appropriate that the two of us have forged such a special bond as we are both proud of our Westcountry roots, but recognised all over the world in our respective fields.
"Ginsters is this nation's best loved brand of snack foods for people on the move and we are a club on the move, as we have shown since they began sponsoring us in 2002.
"They are a brand well known to football supporters all over the country and one that our Green Army can easily identify with and be proud of."
The deal was announced this afternoon [Thursday, May 3] in the Argyle boardroom. Financial details of the sponsorship package were not revealed, but both sides agreed that it was based upon "significantly improved terms."
Mark Duddridge, Ginsters' managing director, said: "We are delighted to be able to extend our agreement with the club.
"We are proud to be Argyle's shirt sponsors. Argyle is a genuine family club, with strong links throughout the Westcountry and with a massive following across Devon and Cornwall."
"Ginsters is a brand with strong local roots and so this is a natural extension of our support for the local community."
Ginsters was established in Callington in 1968 by Cornish farmer Geoffrey Ginster and has grown from a small, family-run business producing handmade Cornish pasties into the country's leading producer of high quality chilled pastry products. More than £20m has been invested in the Callington bakery over the past five years to ensure the highest possible quality.
Still based in Cornwall, the company now supplies traditional Cornish pasties, sausage rolls, hot pies, deep-filled savoury slices, sandwiches and wraps to customers throughout the UK. It has annual sales of around £225m and produces more than 150 million products each year. Ginsters is committed to sourcing quality fresh ingredients from the South West, and is increasing it's spend locally each year as it continues its expansion.
Pilgrims' manager Ian Holloway said: "It goes without saying that the support we have from Ginsters is vital to this football club, and I would like to add the thanks of myself and players for their continued backing.
"As well as sponsoring the shirts, Ginsters also support the club in a number of other ways. For instance, they provide the boys with food on the team bus for our away trips: sandwiches, wraps, buffet bars, sausage rolls, savoury slices, as well as traditional Cornish pasties - sometimes we get as far as Taunton and still have some left.
"Since becoming manager of this great club, I have realised how important Argyle is to the Westcountry and, in turn, how vital the support of the local community is - the more we get backing of good people like Ginsters, the better it will be for our future.
"I am committed to Argyle, Ginsters are committed to us, and we are both committed to doing the best for the Green Army."
Ginsters' other major community project is its support for the charity CHICKS - Country Holidays for Inner City Kids - which provides holidays for disadvantaged children from all over the UK at its centres in Devon and Cornwall.
Many of the children that they help are from difficult backgrounds and need support and counselling. Some of them are 'child carers' who are responsible for looking after a disabled parent or sibling. For many, a visit to CHICKS will be the only holiday they have ever had.
