The Turnberry Team
John McKerchar / Ian Irvine / Barry McCrindle / John Rainham / Isobelle Cramond / Kevin Wallace / Lynne Gallacher / Gerry Shaw
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John McKerchar
DirectorI joined the company in 2011 following a career developing manufacturing companies in the advanced textile and yarn business area.
Since then my priorities with the company have been to ensure continued growth and strengthen the Turnberry brand image. I feel that until now we have been a well kept secret, and that now is the time to extend our reach to further afield in the UK and Europe. Our base in Girvan is a converted granary surrounded by sea and hills. There are so many natural textures and colours in the landscape that, for me, this place really lends itself to creative and innovative production. Working with Turnberry has really allowed me to develop my creative side, I find this part of the world to be a great source of inspiration.
In my spare time I sail on the West Coast of Scotland. It is hard to beat an overnight at Loch Scavaig in Skye or going ashore on Mingulay in the Hebrides.
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Gerry Shaw
Production ManagerI have been with Turnberry Rug Works since the factory opened back in 1991. I’ve now worked at Turnberry for over 21 years and can honestly say I have enjoyed every project, commission and challenge we have faced in these past years. In my role as production manager I lead a team of dedicated and experienced craftsmen, who I know I can rely on to cement our reputation for courtesy, reliability and professionalism.
I’m always looking to learn new skills, this has included a period of training in Germany to get an expert grounding in the hand tufting technique. This allowed me to come back and share my newly learned skills with the rest of the team. One of the great things about the job is trying new things and developing designs, no two days are the same. Using the hand tufting technique gives load of flexibility when incorporating designs, textures and yarns and this is something that I’m always keen to experiment with. Hand tufting gives us great flexibility to combine lots of different yarns and materials to achieve stunning results without the restrictions of a machine; I think it’s something that really sets us apart from other manufacturers.
Some of my favourite pieces have been collaborations with top designers. In particular, the recent collaboration with Timorous Beasties to create a wonderful wall hanging that was inspired by Robert Burns. I was born and brought up in this part of the west coast, Burns Country, so it was nice to work on something that is part of my heritage. It was an intricate piece with inspiration from some of Burns’ most famous work such as “Ae Fond Kiss” and “To a Mouse” which made it challenging and interesting. As a music fan, working with Suzy Reed to create a real fun commission of Jimi Hendrix was also particularly memorable. Outside of work I play the guitar (the rest of the team insist it is outside of work!!).
