The Princess Royal today visited the Isle of Lewis and Harris to open a new extension to the Harris Tweed Mill and the NLV Pharos lighthouse off the west coast of Scotland.
As President of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, Princess Anne was invited to officially open an extension to the Harris Tweed Mill on the Isle of Lewis and Harris. Harris Tweed Hebrides are investing heavily in the future of material manufacturing on the remote Scottish island, and the new extension is a major addition to dyeing and blending the colours that are used to create the famous tweed cloth that has become so synonymous with Scotland.
Princess Anne spent the day in the Hebrides (World Skills)
Princess Anne opens extension to @harristweedheb facilities Shawbost which were supported by @HIEScotland . From the land comes the cloth. pic.twitter.com/Yt0As9vhqj
— Charlotte Wright (@charlottewHIE) July 28, 2017
Ian Angus MacKenzie, chief executive of Harris Tweed Hebrides, said: “This is a major investment and a statement of confidence on the part of our company. A decade ago, Shawbost Mill was closed and derelict. We are proud of what has been achieved since then and are confident Harris Tweed can continue to be a major force within the Hebridean economy for many years to come”.
PRINCESS ANNE JOINS FELIPE AND LETIZIA FOR GUILDHALL BANQUET
Whilst in the Scottish Islands, Anne also visited NLV Pharos in the town of Oban, the entrance to the Hebrides. The Princess Royal is patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board, taking on the role in 1993.
NLV Pharos is a boat which tends to the lighthouses under the board’s protection.
The Princess had a mission of visiting every lighthouse in Scotland a few years back, and takes a keen interest in their work as a sailor herself.
