Let's shout about our city more, says 'Brumbassador' Purnell

TV chef Glynn Purnell led a collective show of Brummie pride at the inaugural Brumbassadors event hosted by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

And the restauranteur – nicknamed the Yummy Brummie – told more than 120 delegates: “We need to shout about ourselves more.”

Chamber members assembled at Birmingham City Football Club’s stadium, St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, for the launch of the Brumbassadors initiative which is designed to champion all that is great about Birmingham.

The display of Brummie pride was timely, with negative news headlines about the city in recent weeks detracting from its many success stories across business, arts, culture and sport.

Many of those strengths were highlighted by a panel featuring Birmingham City interim CEO Jeremy Dale, city curator Alex Nicholson-Evans, Birmingham Museums Trust co-CEO Sara Wajid and tech giant Cisco’s managing director for the public sector, Adele Every.

Purnell took attendees on a humorous and self-deprecating journey through his early life growing up in Chelmsley Wood through to earning the city’s first Michelin star.

And his message to fellow Brummies was: “ I think we need to sell ourselves a bit more.

“We're quite understated and we don't give ourselves enough credit.”

Purnell, who closed his Michelin-starred restaurant in October but continues to operate Plates by Purnell in the city centre, also waxed lyrical about Birmingham’s food scene.

He said the city is now one of the UK’s dining hotspots, having shed its past reputation as the “culinary desert”.

“We’ve got so much great young talent and those who have been around for a while,” he added.

“There are some great restaurants in Birmingham and our street food is fab, which is giving the independents an opportunity to get out there.”

Event host, GBCC chief executive Henrietta Brealey, asked Brumbassador delegates to share ‘what’s brilliant in Brum?’ by answering a short poll on some of the city’s highlights.

The top five answers were:

• Food, Glorious Food: Birmingham’s culinary scene – from street food to its Michelin-star restaurants and thriving independent scene
• The Future of Media: Digbeth is becoming a centre of TV and film production, with major investments such as Steven Knight’s Digbeth Loc Studios and the BBC’s Tea Factory
• All the World’s Brum’s Stage: The city is home to renowned arts organisations and institutions, who are wowing audiences around the world and attracting iconic performers to the city
• A Truly Global City: One of Birmingham’s major strengths is its diversity, with strong international ties and more than 100 languages spoken
• The Future of Sport: The city continues to attract major sporting events such as the 2026 European Athletics Championships and the 2027 Invictus Games, while Birmingham City FC owners Knightead Capital are poised to invest nearly £3bn in a new Sports Quarter

Pictured: Jeremy Dale, Alex Nicholson-Evans, Sara Wajid, Henrietta Brealey, Adele Every and Glynn Purnell