Published 26th Apr 2023, 16:45 BST

Owner Dean Westmoreland – who appears on the BBC’s The Repair Shop – is opening a second shop which will also see him start to make his own bespoke shoes.

Mr Westmoreland said: “Cobbling is the original recycling and it’s really important that the trade is protected. It is a craft and I’m still learning all the time.

“I needed more space to do repairs and move into making shoes under my own name. The investment from Finance Yorkshire is huge – it’s the first time I’ve had new machinery. It has changed my life and the life of the business and where I can positively take it.”

Dean Westmoreland (left), owner of Yorkshire Sole Shoemakers and Restorers pictured with Anthony Cope (centre), investment manager, Finance Yorkshire and Alex McWhirter (right), chief executive of Finance Yorkshire. Picture by Shaun Flannery.

A £25,000 investment from Finance Yorkshire’s micro loan fund has enabled Mr Westmorland to fit out his new space at Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, and equip it with stitching, pressing and finishing equipment used in the repair of shoes and boots.

Mr Westmoreland launched his business in 2017 after spending 15 years working in the cobbler trade. He plans to keep his Shipley store open to serve the local community while his new 500 sq ft unit will be known as Yorkshire Sole Shoemakers and Restorers.

Speaking of his new store, Mr Westmoreland added: “I want it to be a destination which promotes the shoemaking and repair trade and where people can experience the craft of cobbling.”

Yorkshire Sole: The Repair Shop's master cobbler Dean Westmoreland set to open new shop in Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley