Meet the Mill Folk — Laura
Laura works in the Production team here at John Arbon Textiles, looking after Butler, James Henry, Drucilla and Ralph. She also looks after and builds all our show stands and is in charge of topsland at the shows, as well as running lots of our mill tours here too!
You might also recognise her from our vlogs where she often pops up to tell us about one of the machines!
Laura, how long have you been working at John Arbon Textiles?
Since January 2021, nearly 4 years now yay!
How would you describe your job?
I work with the large machinery downstairs in the mill blending the pre-dyed tops into our beautiful colour ranges and then getting them spinning. I also do some of the machine maintenance and I get to take all of our lovely stock out into the world for yarn shows.
Why did you decide to work at the Mill?
I was looking for a change of career after working backstage in the theatre for many years. I realised that my practical skills along with my love of wool would be perfectly suited to making yarn – luckily the mill folk thought so too!
What is your favourite treat to snack on at work?
Cake and broken biscuits*, they’re broken so they don’t count, right?
What do you get up to when you’re not at work?
I am a part of the shore crew for the Appledore Lifeboat, so whenever I’m at home I have my pager by my side and I’m ready to be called to action. While I’m waiting for the next shout I love to knit, crochet, sew and spin with my seemingly endless stash of wool and fabric.
What is your favourite machine and why?
It’d have to be Ralph (sorry to all the others). Ralph is a gill box, and I spend most of my time with him processing the tops. I feel like he’s my buddy and we work well together. He’s also just the right size for hugging 😀
What’s your favourite season in North Devon?
Summer, when I can go to the beach for a swim after work. The water temperature is just right and the sun is warm enough to dry me afterwards, lovely.
* Editor’s note: Broken biscuits may be a uniquely British cultural phenomenon so allow me to explain. If you know where to look, you can buy huge boxes of mixed, imperfect biscuits (cookies) very cheaply. Sometimes it’s a pretty dull assortment of Digestives and Rich Teas but occasionally you hit the jackpot and find a box loaded with Jammie Dodgers! They may not meet the manufacturer’s exacting standards but they’re the perfect treat for a bunch of peckish Mill Folk. We don’t care about their imperfections — they’re just as yummy!
This post is part of our series introducing all the Mill Folk – please take a look at the Meet the Mill Folk tag to read more about all of us who work here!
