Leeds Beckett University and Abraham Moon & Sons Limited KTP 24_25 R5

Abraham Moon & Sons, the last vertical woollen mill in the UK, is building a multi-skilled workforce to keep its century-old manufacturing process alive. This matters because vertical mills—where raw wool enters one end and finished fabric leaves the other—are rare. The knowledge required to run them is specialised, hands-on, and at risk of being lost as experienced workers retire. Without intervention, the mill would struggle to adapt to modern demands, and a piece of Britain’s industrial heritage would vanish. If the project succeeds, the mill will become more agile and productive, able to respond quickly to changing orders without sacrificing quality. That means a sustainable future for a business that supplies high-end fabric to fashion houses and tailors. It also preserves a supply chain that relies on domestic manufacturing rather than overseas production. This is not fundamental science. It is a practical, skills-focused intervention to protect a specific industrial capability. The immediate impact is on the mill’s workforce and its ability to compete, but the broader effect is safeguarding a manufacturing model that keeps skilled jobs and traditional processes in the UK.