Looms-to-rent plan

Rent-a-loom plan 27/8/14

Three new Harris Tweed jobs are to be created in Lewis and Harris with a community wind farm trust taking the unprecedented step of buying looms to rent out to aspiring weavers.

Getting hold of a loom to make tweed has been virtually impossible for many people in recent years as the world famous textile under goes a renaissance.

Over 50 new Harris Tweed weavers are thought to have entered the workforce in the past six years with many more are queuing up to join.

But all the spare looms in the islands have been snapped up preventing new entrants from getting a foothold in the industry.

Until now, no new loom has been manufactured for decades while an island-wide audit showed that all known ones are in productive use.

Second hand models are impossibly hard to source and sell for gold dust when a rarely advertised.

Under an unique Act of Parliament, every piece of tweed must be woven at weavers’ own home and manufactured exclusively in the Western Isles.

The textile has ditched its dowdy old-fashioned image and is now in trendy high demand by global stylemakers.

New markets are emerging with Japan and Asia replacing America as the sector’s largest buyer.

Now the Muaitheabhal Community Wind Farm Trust will purchase three new tweed looms from manufacturers Griffith Textiles which will then be rented to three new weavers living within the trust’s area which covers Pairc and Kinloch in Lewis as well as North Harris.

If the idea takes off, more will be ordered for weavers.

The initiative will enable new weavers to develop a livelihood and support the local economy.

Helen Sandison of the Muaitheabhal Community Wind Farm Trust said: “The trust is proud to be in a position to be able to offer this sort of opportunity to residents in the trust area.

“It meets our charitable purposes of creating employment and supporting the population.”

She added: “If successful, we hope to be able to develop this project further and enable more to work at home weaving.”

The project will be managed by the Harris Tweed Weavers Association, which will receive a management fee from the trust.

William Macleod, development officer for the association, said: “We are very pleased to be working with the Muaitheabhal Trust on this timely project.

“The leasing of these looms will significantly reduce the start-up costs for new weavers at a time when the purchasing cost of a loom are considerable.

“We are confident the project will bring much needed jobs to the local community.”

Anyone interested in applying for a loom must reside in Pairc, Kinloch or North Harris and have access to secure premises to house the loom.

Applicants do not need to be trained weavers, although previous experience will be an advantage.

Muitheabhal Community Wind Farm Trust distributes the community benefit fund available from the planned Beinn Mhor wind farm on Eishken in South Lochs which is owned by French-controlled International Power.