We Are England: Northern Sole (S2022EP88 Friday 11 November 2022)

Northern Sole: There has been a long-standing connection between Cumbria and the shoe industry. As soon as Roy Bell left school in 1970, he began working at Millers Shoe Factory in Cockermouth. Early in the 1990s, Millers closed its doors, but Roy had already left for another organisation.

Roy has worked at the New Balance factory in Flimby, a small village a few miles away, since it opened in 1982. The Flimby facility, which is situated in a farmer’s field and has cattle lazily grazing nearby, was the only factory owned by the multibillion-dollar American company outside of the USA at the time. The factory now employs 275 people to produce about 7,500 pairs of trainers each week, and it plans to increase that number by 10% over the next five years.

Staff members work ten-hour shifts four days a week. Roy is known as a “clicker” because of the clicking sound his machine makes when it presses down on a leather sheet to cut the different parts of a trainer. It appears simple enough to the untrained eye, but without Roy’s knowledge and experience gained over the years, things could go horribly wrong very quickly.

For Roy, the daily process of leather cutting is coming to an end. His workstation is decorated with banners and balloons that wish him a happy retirement. His team gathers around to wish him luck as work temporarily comes to a halt.

This year, New Balance celebrated 40 years of manufacturing in Cumbria by creating a unique pair of trainers to mark the occasion. Made in England is proudly displayed on the tongue, and Flimby is identified on a map of the UK inside the box. The anniversary trainers will be exported to all countries, as is the case with 80% of Flimby’s production.

Airdate: Friday 11 November 2022 at 19:30 on 

Season 2022 Episode 88

Exploring the issues people care about, as told by them – from across England. It’s a reflection of the opinions and changing face of the nation.