This morning I went out for a boggin' run over Darwen moors before the duration this afternoon that is DIY web design aaaaaah!
Anyway to break away from that here is a quick summary from yesterday when I was fortunate enough to have a visit to the fell running icon that is walshsports based in Bolton, Lancs.
Mr Crompton very kindly gave me a tour of the
factory and we chatted about the various designs and the production
process. Factoid: there are
approximately 14 parts to a fell running shoe.
The Spirit range, of which I use the Spirit Peak, are being phased out
of production temporarily due to current market trends, but may be brought back
in at a future date. Being a company
with a great history in shoe making particularly performance running shoes, the
company is not adept to diversify as required and is now quietly developing
very popularly in the field of indoor tug of war competitions. From being asked a basic question some time
ago by a competitor Walsh’s shoes are now being worn at a National level in
this sport.
The company seeks to find the right materials for all its
shoes for production, this can be seen in the PB which uses a material found in
the lining of miners boots as it has to be rugged, tough wearing and
manipulative. It was good to see the
work that goes into putting the shoes together, which is done by hand, to
produce the quality shoes that we all know.
Mr Crompton kindly invited me back in a few weeks when the PB’s are on
the production line to see those going from the last to the finished product.
Many thanks to all the staff for allowing me to have a gander around.
