Do you remember when . . .Carnlough lost quilt factory

Production came to an end at a quilt factory in Carnlough in April, 1984 with the loss of 21 jobs.

The Larne Times reported that a receiver from Pricewaterhouse said that there was only a “slim chance” that the business would be sold as a going concern.

The Carnlough factory was a branch of Shanover Limited in Whiteabbey, which had also gone into receivership.

The company blamed the downturn in business on an increase in the popularity of synthetic fibres rather than traditional duck down.

The receiver indicated that 80 workers were employed between the two sites.

He noted that production had stopped, although the company was continuing to sell “as best it could” to customers.

“Unless there is a customer prepared to buy the goods, we cannot visualise another party taking over,” he said.

The Larne Times stated that workers had been shocked to learn that the company was in trouble as the first indication of difficulty was during a radio news bulletin.

The receiver said that employees would be given redundancy money and holiday pay.