Like many businesses across the country, the Wrexham-based textile design and print company Paul Bristow Associates discovered in March that their normal way of working was no longer possible.
With Boris Johnson announcing a full nationwide ‘lockdown’ the firm knew they would have to at least temporarily reinvent themselves to keep their business going and, crucially, to help in any way they could with the fight against Covid-19.
A heartfelt message on the company website expressed gratitude for the NHS staff ‘risking everything to help those affected by this horrible virus’ as well as ‘all other key workers, from the local supermarket shop assistants to the scientists and civil servants who are working tirelessly to keep the country provided for and safe.’
But Paul Bristow Associates wanted to do more than simply offer their thanks. And, as a result of their large factory in Wrexham in North Wales, they felt that they were equipped to do their bit.
Their first instinct was to help make PPE for the NHS but they soon discovered this would not be possibly because they did not have access to the supply chains of the correct raw materials to make any PPE in sufficient quantities.
Undeterred, they turned their attention to face coverings.
‘We are now producing thousands of masks per week for major organisations and companies in the UK and continue to develop and research a better-quality product for our customers,’ they explain on their website.
‘We have formed a partnership with Polygene, who have been able to supply our fabric manufacturers, who are also based in the UK, with a ViralOff coating, that kills 99.9% of all virus after two hours of contact with the fabric. This makes using our face coverings during the normal course of a day much safer than one without. We have also launched several face covering shapes at different costs including a snood that also has the ViralOff coating.’
And this altruistic endeavour has enabled them to get the rest of their business back online too:
‘These new product lines have enabled us to re-open our business whilst also providing the manufacture of our existing products lines like t-shirts, tote bags, cushions and kitchen textiles. So from our factories in North Wales, we are now producing printed bespoke textile gifts and products for our customers again. A large amount of our customers remain closed, so things are far from normal, but the signs are positive.’
The business began life from a small flat in Maida Vale in the 1980s making T-shirts for the cult satire show Spitting Image, which is set to make a return to our screens this autumn after a twenty-four year hiatus ). Since then founders Paul and Maggie Bristow have seen the business flourish to become a market leader, supplying the Saatchi Gallery, the Tate, Kew Gardens and the Palace of Westminster.
A company who produces high-quality art and merchandise might normally be considered one of life’s luxuries. Right now, however, we are learning that these companies can also save lives.
