A withered giant fights back

Textiles was once the UK biggest employer

It's an industry which used to employ 1.5m people and one in which Britain led the world in terms of production.

Shipbuilding? Coal mining? No, it's textiles.

Many towns in the Britain grew up around the mills - although those sturdily attractive old buildings are usually the only survivor of the industry.

But the textile industry has been in almost terminal decline. As many as 40,000 jobs have been lost each year in recent years.

A well trodden path

The main reason - and where have we heard this before - is cheaper imports, from the Far East and North Africa.

It's ironic that as the UK's designers stride the world stage, so few of their creations are made in this country.

Scott Henshall: "Too often designers have to go abroad"

There has been some government help - a £15m aid package two years ago as part of a 12-point action plan.

And this week saw the launch of a sector skills council, to make sure training is being directed in the right area.

There are still pockets of hope. Working Lunch visited a Londonderry shirt maker called Glenaden last year.

Hope

The company has focused on high quality products and customer service and has been doing well - it is currently recruiting.

While the UK can't compete when it comes to mass production, there is a market for top-end products and fast customer response.

Innovation in technology and working practices will be vital if the industry is to survive.

This is the formula being employed by County Durham company, Workwear Express.

It employs 10 people and has grown quickly since starting up three years ago.

Making the most

The company is making the most of any grants to improve staff skills, from accounting to design.

"It's opened up a whole new avenue of possibilities for us," said founder Andrew Ward.

"We mix with lots of different people we would not have met and it's exposed us to other markets."

Key

Trade & Industry minister Douglas Alexander, who launched the new Skillfast-UK initiative, says training is the key for the future.

Douglas says: "There is a real potential here.

"I think there is a chance to move into more complex areas like technical textiles where I think we have a real future," he adds.

But the industry will have to change in other ways.

Changing values

For years, there was a cosy relationship between the big suppliers and the big retailers.

That was shattered when Marks & Spencer decided to source clothing abroad and some long-established names went to the wall.

Young designer Scott Henshall, recently the creative force at Mulberry, wants to see changes in the industry.

He's working with a collective of designers in the north-east of England, and hopes that if manufacturers work with groups like his, it will reduce their exposure to problems like those caused by M&S.

Scott says: "All too often this country produces great designers but they have to go abroad to get funding and support from manufacturers."

Optimism

There is some optimism in Scott's native North East, tempered by an acceptance that the days of large-scale manufacturing are gone.

"A lot of large companies have shed lots of jobs, but the industry has changed, in the North East in particular," says Fred Kirkland of the Northeast Textile Network.

Fred Kirkland: Renaissance in the North East

"People are very innovative up here. They've started their own companies and are beginning to employ staff in significant numbers.

"There's a bit of a renaissance in the North East in the textile and clothing industry."

Will it work?

I've stood outside enough closing textiles factories to know the blows that have been dealt to communities dependent on their survival.

Any initiative is to be welcomed, although some critics see this latest programme as a pointless campaign that will achieve little.

But any jobs created and factories saved will be vital steps in securing the future of the UK's textiles sector.