Journal

‘I know we all must be feeling the chills at this time of year. I was born in Scotland and thought I was used to the cold but boy was I wrong. Our houses there are built with thick insulation, double glazed windows and central heating as sub 10 degrees is the norm for most of the year. These design features are not present in South African houses, and why would they be when it’s warm most of the year.

So when the sun drops and Jack Frost nips out of the shadows, my wife and I wrap ourselves in our Barrydale blankets and get the fire going, I can recommend it as a solution!’ – Arran

We have changed prices this month in line with the inflation of our raw products (cotton and dying of cotton) but also due to our commitment to increasing wages and improving the employment benefits offered to our employees. We introduced a life insurance scheme last year and are in the process of getting a pension fund in place as well.

Every month, Barrydale Hand Weavers selects a grass-roots community project to support and this month we are supporting a youth skateboarding project that has recently started in Barrydale.

In some parts of the country we can feel the arrival of Autumn in the crisp morning air and slightly earlier sunsets. However, during the day, you can still feel the glorious warmth of Summer.

Barrydale Handweavers owner Arran Bastable visited the make shift training facilities of the local fight club where Sergeant Conroy Williams keeps young men out of trouble by teaching them the finer art of boxing at mixed martial arts.

Barrydale Hand Weavers made it onto the big screen, or at least a bespoke range of outfits that was born from their looms was used to manufacture hundreds of outfits for the movie The Woman King.

The Movie premiered in South Africa this week and almost the entire Hand Weavers staff from Barrydale was privileged to watch a private screening at New Metro, Worcester on September 30.

he Barrydale Hand Weavers team this week completed their Pink for Pinky drive during which the proceeds of a bespoke pink tea-towel and hand cloth range was donated to 11-year old cancer sufferer Trinity Schäffler.

Trinity, or Pinky as she’s affectionally known, is an 11-year-old cancer sufferer who is currently undergoing chemo treatment at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town.

Some people think they are insane to brave the cold waters of the Tradouw Pass, but this will not stop the Birrrydale* 365 Early Swimming Club from completing their quest of making a splash every day of the year.

A loom that had been gathering dust in storage for more than 25 years was recently rescued by Barrydale Hand Weavers owner Arran Bastable and weaving master Tivane.

As part of their efforts to meet the ever-increasing demand for their popular products, Barrydale Hand Weavers confirmed this week that they would be relocating to the Barrydale Cellar by the end of April.

This much-needed increase in floor space will ensure that the weavers have more than enough room to erect all the new looms that were purchased over recent years.

Exciting times ahead for the Barrydale Hand Weavers family, both at the weavery and on the bowls green. The business has continued to grow through the pandemic and 2021 is se to be another year of growth and fun for the team.

When a community driven initiative that so beautifully complemented our business ethos presented itself, we did not hesitate to get involved. In fact, we found that donating a significant amount of the material used to embellish the streets of our town during its annual Art Meander has proved to be one of the highlights of our year.