Children at Craigavon Area Hospital have been enjoying unique music sessions thanks to a long-term relationship between the Ulster Orchestra and Ulster Carpets.

These special two-hour sessions at the Blossom Children’s Ward are a mixture of music making workshops for children who are able to gather in their reception area, as well as some bedside visits for those children who can’t leave their ward/room.

Linzi Hughes, Ward Manager at Blossom Children’s Ward, said, “These sessions have been so beneficial to our patients, their parents and even our staff and we want to thank the Ulster Orchestra and Ulster Carpets for making this happen.

“Those waiting in reception can be feeling anxious ahead of an appointment, but the beautiful music created a real sense of calm. For our long-term patients and those with complex sensory needs, they benefit from this wonderful music therapy.”

Ulster Orchestra freelance musician, Cecily Smith Nesbitt, who regularly delivers learning and community engagement activity for the Orchestra, leads this wonderful project which forms one part of the Orchestra’s wider learning and community engagement activity across Northern Ireland.

Lucy McCullagh, Ulster Orchestra’s Head of Community Engagement and Grants, explains, “We’re delighted to have this opportunity to connect with children, their caregivers and staff on the Blossom Ward in Craigavon Hospital. Listening to and actively participating in live music has a healing quality that can improve wellbeing and mental health which is so important for children and their caregivers during a hospital stay of any length. Thanks to Ulster Carpets for their support in making this possible.”

As part of their ongoing commitment to community projects, Ulster Carpets have been supporting the important outreach work of the Ulster Orchestra for over a decade.

Nick Coburn, Managing Director, Ulster Carpets, comments, “It is a real privilege to see the connections that Ulster Orchestra’s amazing music creates with the children on the Blossom Ward as part of this wonderful new initiative.

“We have supported the work of the Ulster Orchestra for many years and as a local employer we are proud to help extend important engagement like this that makes a tangible difference within the community.”

Significant investment in new jobs, infrastructure and technology has secured an increased turnover of over £11million for Ulster Carpets Ltd in the 2022/23 financial year.

As a fourth-generation family-owned and run company, we have demonstrated renewed positivity through a major redevelopment plan at our Portadown headquarters that has created nearly 50 jobs in the last 12 months to meet increasing demand.

Across the Ulster Carpets Group, a £3million investment in new technology at wool processing company, Ulster Yarns, has created 30 new jobs in Yorkshire.

In June 2023, the Ulster Group continued its Mergers & Acquisitions strategy with the acquisition of iconic British flooring brand, Alternative Flooring. The purchase was fully funded from Ulster’s own cash reserves and further diversifies the Group within the flooring sector.

Record turnover in the US Contract market was offset by the prevailing difficulties associated with COVID, global energy costs, inflation and the cost of living crisis, leading to similar levels of underlying operating profit to the previous year, excluding the sale of land.

Our latest accounts show that turnover has increased by over £11.8million to £79.9million, with the gross margin reducing from 41% to 38%. After taxation, the Group has reported a £2.7million profit.

In his Chairman’s Statement, Dr John Wilson expressed optimism following the record success in the competitive US market, new projects secured in the UK, European and Marine markets and strong results and a positive outlook for Ulster Carpets Group companies Roger Oates Design and Danfloor.

He said, “The year under review marked the first full year’s trading in the absence of any COVID related Government support policies. While the pandemic is now over, there is still a persistent tail of disruption which is taking time to fully settle down. Taking those two points into consideration it was pleasing to see that operating profits have remained steady.

“Global energy costs and suboptimal productivity have put pressure on margins but we expect that with increasing numbers of high speed looms productivity and margins will improve.

“Rebuilding capacity at our headquarters in Portadown continues, with a committed investment programme. As intimated in last year’s accounts, it will be into 2024 before the full benefits of this will be realised.”

Investment in the main manufacturing site in Portadown will result in a complete renewal of most of the infrastructure and buildings alongside the addition of the latest automated technologies.

We had the privilege of welcoming members of the Ulster Farmers’ Union Beef & Lamb Committee to our headquarters in Portadown recently.

The members learned all about how wool is integral to every carpet we weave and how we promote the benefits of this amazing material at every opportunity.

Every year we buy around 2.5 million kilos of wool a year, which is the equivalent of 1.47 million fleeces. We predominately use British and Irish wool which is all purchased in line with the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare and The International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) guidelines.

During their behind the scenes tour they got to see how wool is woven into luxury carpets that are used in homes, hotels, casinos and cruise ships across the world.

David Acheson, Strategic Development & Finance Director, “We welcomed the opportunity to showcase our company to these local farmers and show how local wool is being used in our carpets.
“Wool is an amazing natural and renewable fibre, with inherent qualities of durability, ease of cleaning, and beautiful softness that make it the perfect choice for use in our world class carpets.”

Ulster Carpets have won The Flooring Show’s Sustainability Award – the second award this year that has recognised our Sustainability Strategy.

The Flooring Show – hosted this week in Harrogate – is the UK’s largest flooring event and for over 60 years it has attracted thousands of retailers, contractors, distributors, fitters, designers and developers.

Carol Howson, Sustainability & Product Engineer at Ulster Carpets, said,

“We are delighted that the judges at The Flooring Show have recognised our Sustainability Strategy.

“As a family company, protecting the planet is an important part of our ethos. When we launched our Sustainability Strategy earlier this year we wanted to be as transparent as possible about our journey towards Net Zero.

“We have already taken many positive steps forward and, as our history has proven, we will continue to innovate to make our manufacturing processes more energy efficient and develop new products that meet the growing demand for environmentally friendly carpets.

“By using wool in every carpet we already have a great starting point and we are determined to build on our track record as an industry innovator to refine our manufacturing processes and drive through the change that our sector needs.”

The aim of The Flooring Show’s Sustainability Award is to shine a spotlight on the manufacturers striving to make their products and processes more sustainable and we’re delighted that our efforts have been recognised.

The judges looked at what policies we have in place to reduce our environmental impact, our eco-friendly product ranges and, importantly, our sustainability goals over the next five years. As outlined in our Sustainability Strategy, these include:

• 50% reduction in carbon emissions
• 18.5% reduction in energy intensity
• 5% reduction in water consumption
• 20% reduction in waste
• 5% reduction in packaging

This is the second time this year that our efforts to protect the planet have been recognised. In June, we won the Best Sustainable Business at The Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards in a competitive category that included Coca-Cola, Greiner Packaging, Musgrave Northern Ireland, JP Corry and Hastings Hotels.

Read more about our Sustainability Strategy https://ulstercarpets.com/contract/impact-on-the-environment/

We are delighted to extend our sponsorship with professional golfer, Olivia Mehaffey.

Nick Coburn, Managing Director of Ulster Carpets, said, “We have supported Olivia since she turned professional in 2021 and we are look forward to seeing where the next steps on her journey take her.

“Olivia continues to be a positive role model and we are particularly supportive of her determination to inspire more young women in sport.”
Olivia added, “I am delighted to continue my sponsorship with Ulster Carpets. It is very special to me having the support of such a successful local company. I look forward to continue to represent Ulster Carpets on tour around the world.”

Next up for Olivia is the Aramco Team Series at the Centurion Club, St Albans from 14th-16th July.

Ulster Carpets have been named as the Best Sustainable Business 2023 at The Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards.

Shortlisted in a competitive category that includes Coca-Cola, Greiner Packaging, Musgrave Northern Ireland, JP Corry and Hastings Hotels, the judges said: “Our winner walked all over the opposition here! This company has launched its own sustainability strategy as the next step in a long history of market-leading innovations, and it has also developed and patented its own unique weaving technology.”

The award was in recognition of our recently launched Sustainability Strategy that outlines the enormous strides we have made towards protecting the planet over the last 85 years. Importantly, the strategy also looks ahead by setting key targets for reductions in 2025.

Beverley Copeland, Director Organisation Development at Ulster Carpets, said, “We are delighted to be presented with this award and to receive recognition of our Sustainability Strategy.

“As a company we have a proud history of innovation and, as our Sustainability Strategy outlines, we remain committed to playing our part in protecting the planet.”

Read more about our Sustainability Strategy here – https://ulstercarpets.com/contract/impact-on-the-environment/

You can also read more about the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards HERE