The owner of the north-east’s only outdoor clothing manufacturer has revealed how staff began using its reels of material to make masks for care home workers.
The team at Hilltrek Outdoor Clothing did the good deed while continuing to produce a diverse range of clothing products for hillwalkers, mountaineers, cyclists and more as people embraced the outdoors this year.
The idea to craft some much-needed masks was conjured up by owner David Shand, who was eager for Hilltrek to help those in need in whatever way possible.
And he has also shown his support for the North East Now campaign and its website helping to promote local businesses battling through the Covid-19 pandemic.
David, 67, said: “Earlier this year, we closed our shop and furloughed some of our staff. However, orders still came in from around the world, which was a challenge.
“Despite the pressure to continue operating with reduced staff, we wondered how we could help.
“Early in the pandemic, there was a severe shortage of face masks for care homes and carers so we decided to make face masks using the waterproof cotton which we use for our outdoor clothing.
“We enlisted help from several local skilled sewing experts whose businesses could not operate due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“After initially donating masks to care homes and carers we decided, due to the demand, to sell masks to the general public.”
It was announced that Hilltrek customers could buy masks online and in the Aboyne-based store and the move has proved highly successful.
The business continues to offer clothing for a diverse range of outdoor people such as bushcrafters, birdwatchers, anglers, gamekeepers, stalkers, mountaineers and cyclists.
Established in the 1980s, David – who grew up in the north-east but now lives in Argyll – is proud of how far the company has evolved, alongside his “right-hand woman” Susan Griffiths.
Susan was the first apprentice at Hilltrek and now designs all of their products.
“It all started when a local Aboyne lady began making fleeces for her family for skinning and hillwalking,” David added.
“These multicoloured fleeces became popular and are well known in the skiing and hillwalking community in the north-east. I still encounter hillwalkers wearing our fleeces in the hills – some 30 years old.”
Susan added: “Today, Hilltrek has several high profile customers such as Ray Mears. We are the only outdoor clothing manufacturer in the north-east – as far as we are aware – while most are made abroad.
“This gives the north-east public the opportunity to buy local, something that we like to highlight the importance of.”
David said he was impressed with the North East Now website set up earlier this year.
Not only is North East Now shining a light on regional businesses, but it also boasts an online hub that makes it easy for people to support local firms from a wide range of industries including food, drink, fashion, beauty, lifestyle and more.
For more on the North-East Now initiative, people can visit northeastnow.scot or to share a positive business story, email stories@northeastnow.scot
