Hebrides  News                                       newsdesk@hebrides.biz

Charles and Camilla visit Harris              2/6/11

 

 

 

 

Prince Charles and Camilla are marking 100 years of the official Harris Tweed industry a special visit in Harris today.

 

The royal couple are seeing how the fabric is made in a weaving shed in Stockinish. They will see a loom in operation before going on to see finished garments at the Isle of Harris Knitwear Company.

 

The pair, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, will also hear about the revival of the sector from representatives of the Harris Tweed industry at the Leac a’ Li Community Centre.

 

Later, Camilla will visit Tarbert Fire Station and meet local volunteers and charity representatives. She will present certificates to pupils who have completed a fire training course.  The Royal visit is the final stop in a three-day whistle stop tour of Scotland.

 

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first legal trade marking created by a special Act of Parliament.

 

Since 1911 every piece of finished tweed has been stamped with the orb mark proving it was woven at weavers’ own home and manufactured exclusively in the Western Isles.

 

The law had been was passed the previous year and has been an overwhelmingly successful measure to protect vital jobs and the islands’ economy ever since.

 

Crucially, the Orb trademark thwarted Yorkshire businessman Brian Haggas from shifting the last major island mill to the North of England three years ago.

 

The blackest point in the fabric’s history came in 2009 when the Stornoway mill shut following mass redundancies. The mill had dominate the sector with churning out 95% of the cloth for years.

 

It reopened last year as a shadow of its former self and only employs a handful of people.

 

The survival of the industry lay in the hands of the revival of the shut Shawbost Mill run by newcomer Harris Tweed Hebrides - whose chairman is former Labour minister Brian Wilson -  which in two years went from zero to become the largest producer. A independent mill at Carloway is also busy making the famous cloth.

 

The sector is now worth £4 million and supports over 400 jobs in the islands.

 

The unique fabric is experiencing a revival after years of ailing sales.

 

Led by the Harris Tweed Industry Forum, the industry and agencies have worked together in recent times to co-ordinate support including the Harris Tweed Investment Fund, the European Social Fund-backed Skills and Training Project as well as support for individual projects with the mills and the Harris Tweed Association.

 

Current training packages for new and existing weavers have been complemented by a wide ranging package of support in the mills, developing skills in production, management and design.