A SOUTH Harris-based textile business has been able to renovate new premises and increase on-island production thanks to one-to-one support from Business Gateway.

Borrisdale Tweed, which was founded by Carol Graham and Rob English in 2017, specialises in the design, manufacture and retail of exclusive, high quality homewares and accessories using locally woven Harris Tweed.

The couple gave up their corporate jobs to launch both Borrisdale Tweed and Sound of Harris after falling in love with the island following a short break.

Graham and English combine their previous industrial and academic experience in textile engineering and colour chemistry, plus their passion for their new home, to create products that have been a hit with the island’s locals and visitors alike.

The business started off as a pop-up shop next to their weaving shed, but has since doubled its turnover year-on-year and significantly exceeded its projected turnover for 2019. Business Gateway was able to help Borrisdale Tweed with one-to-one sessions from a business adviser, funding advice and an introduction to Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It also supported the firm’s successful application to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Grants for Growth Funding, from which Borrisdale Tweed was awarded £20,000 in funding and was able to renovate a building in the south of Harris.

English said: “Business Gateway’s support has been invaluable to our business. Although I was successful with ERDF funding in my previous academic roles, the input helped clarify our strategy to expand through a move to a larger premises in Leverburgh. This included a focus on training and sustainability, to the effect that I now have a site management qualification and we were able to project manage the renovation ourselves. We are now also almost zero waste with regard to use of cloth in the manufacture of our products.

“The grant enabled us to turn the former post office in Leverburgh into bespoke premises, which ultimately helped us to achieve our main objective of providing exclusive, high quality products made in the Outer Hebrides.”