EF News
By day, Sally Marshall leads the MRG Group – a growing hospitality business behind much-loved venues including The Ship at Redmarshall. But away from the kitchen and business plans, she finds clarity through music, performing with local bands, busking for good causes and switching off with her flute.
Sally Marshall didn’t grow up dreaming of running a hospitality business. In fact, her first career looked very different and it stemmed from a passion that's always been in her life: music.
“My dad played folk guitar – blues, too – and he was brilliant,” she says. “There was always music in the house. He’d sit beside me while I practised the piano, which must have been painful for him at times, but he never once complained. He just kept saying, ‘Keep going.’”
Sally began learning classical piano aged eight. “I wasn’t a natural – not by a long shot – but I was determined. That’s what got me through.” Her love of music stuck with her into adulthood, shaping a 27-year career as a secondary school teacher, specialising in music and dance.
It wasn’t until much later that hospitality came into the picture – a business she co-founded with her son, Toby, whose own passion for food started when he was just ten. “He was obsessed with cooking,” she smiles. “He’d picked it up from my dad, who was also a chef. We started with a street food stall when Toby was 19. It felt that this would be a safe way to try things, fail fast, learn quickly. The business just grew from there.”
That one stall evolved into the MRG Group – employing over 50 people and best known for The Ship at Redmarshall, a community favourite celebrated for its globally inspired Parmo menu. But while the business has become a big part of her life, it’s music that still brings her the most clarity. “If I’m stuck with something at work – a decision I can’t quite make – I shelve it and go and play. A coupleof hours with the flute, and it’s like my brain resets.”
Sally plays in multiple ensembles across the North East including a swing band, a Baroque group and a Ceilidh band called The Kelpie Ceilidhs. “We play traditional Celtic folk, songs such as Dirty Old Town and The Irish Rover, with our own modern arrangements. I’m the flautist – although I still play piano and dabble in saxophone too.”
She credits Seaham Music Academy for keeping her continued passions for learning. “I still have flute lessons every Saturday. There’s always something new to work on. That’s what I love about music – you never really master it. There’s always more.” The band’s gigs range from local fundraisers and birthday parties to church performances and civic events. “One of my favourite gigs was in this tiny village church. A woman came up to me afterwards – she’d listened to my solo, and she was crying. She said it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard. I’ll never forget that.”
When she’s not on stage, Sally can often be found busking outside coffee shops to raise money for music education charities. “We keep it simple – carols at Christmas, duets with violinists. It brings people joy, and it supports a cause that means something to me.”
Music, she says, gives her a sense of focus that nothing else does. “It’s like mindfulness. When I’m reading the dots, I can’t think about anything else. And then, when I stop, I’m calmer. Sometimes I’ve even found solutions to business problems I didn’t know I was working on.”
Looking ahead, Sally is focused on sustaining both sides of her world. “With the business, I want to grow steadily and make sure our team – many of them families – feel secure and supported. And with the bands, I just want to make sure they keep going. They bring so much joy.”
