A seven-year £5million contract under which Haworth-based Wyedean Weaving will replace all British Armed Forces’ Standards and Colours with the King’s insignia and the Tudor Crown, has helped to fuel the company’s recent investment in a £300k refurbishment to futureproof its 150-year-old Grade II listed mill building.
The fourth-generation family firm is currently putting the finishing touches to the Irish Guards regimental King’s Colour which will be carried at the Trooping of the Colour ceremony on June 15th.
Next Monday four generations of the Wright family will be celebrating Wyedean’s Diamond Jubilee alongside invited guests and guest of honour, the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson. The event includes a special recognition presentation to Norma Wright, Wyedean’s 99-year-old chairwoman.
MD Robin Wright said: “60 years ago my parents set up shop here in Haworth with a fledgling business. Since then, Wyedean has employed over 1,000 people with many local family members working here over two and three generations.
“Sixty years on we are Haworth’s oldest employer and also one of its largest, and we wanted to host a celebratory event to say thank you to our team and our customers and to showcase our recent refurbishment alongside the ceremonial regalia for His Majesty’s Forces and His horses that we create every single day. We are also offering a unique opportunity to see our team’s hand embroidery work on the regimental Colours and Standards ahead of the King’s Birthday Parade in June.”
Wyedean was founded as a manufacturer of braid and military uniform accoutrements in 1964 by David Wright who ran the business with his father Frank, a former textile machine designer who was awarded an MBE in recognition of his invention of a new yarn spinning technique called centrifugal spinning.
Robin added: “Our Diamond Jubilee is a very proud moment for all our family, our team and our village, whose rich heritage is a fitting backdrop to the historic and ground breaking manufacturing that happens behind our mill’s walls every day of the week.
“We couldn’t be more proud of the road we have travelled and of the exciting future ahead as we continue to bring our Yorkshire expertise to the creation of royal and military regalia which forms part of our nation’s most ancient ceremonies and traditions.”
