Knotty problem helps pupils tie up new design for Cutlers

SCHOOLCHILDREN who were challenged to design a new tie by Sheffield’s Master Cutler travelled to a specialist factory in Skipton yesterday to see their ideas turned into reality.

Pupils at Sheffield Springs Academy were approached to carry out the task earlier this year by the Cutlers’ Company, which exists to promote manufacturing in the city and South Yorkshire.

Master Cutler Bill Speirs said he and other members of the company had decided to ask the school to come up with the design to allow pupils to take part in a manufacturing process.

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He added: “We could have asked a professional designer but for us it was important to involve the children of Sheffield.

“In years to come some of these young designers may well join the company and find themselves wearing the tie they designed.

“It is also important that from an early age they learn about the manufacturing process and how something moves from drawing board to finished item.

“The key is not just the ability to design but also the technique of turning that idea into a product. ”

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The tie is being made by Skipton-based Mason Tie Factory, the only company in the country which could be found to take on the task.

The Cutlers Company said the only other manufacturer they could find capable of making the tie was in Thailand.

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