Manufacturing Guild Mark holder stars in BBC TV show

Corporate member and Manufacturing Guild Mark holder Harrison Spinks was the star of BBC Two documentary Inside The Factory earlier this month  (20 August) as part of a focus on making mattresses.

During the show Gregg Wallace and Cherry Healy gain access to Harrison Spinks’ state-of-the-art factory which makes 600 comfy beds every day.

Following the production of pocket sprung mattresses from the arrival of hard steel right through to soft bedding heading out of dispatch, Gregg learns how lengths of metal are stretched into thin wire and coiled into springs which are placed into individual pockets, and how the mattresses are designed to wick away moisture from our bodies with the help of natural fibres like hemp and wool.

Meanwhile Cherry finds out whether there are benefits to be had from taking an afternoon nap. And she visits Harrison Spinks’ very own sheep farm where she sees how wool is shorn and discovers its amazing anti-bacterial and fire-retardant properties, which make it perfect for filling a mattress.

Simon Spinks, managing director at Harrison Spinks, said: “To be chosen to be part of a programme as prestigious as Inside The Factory is a huge honour for Harrison Spinks. Our employees are all incredibly proud of their workplace and to shine a spotlight on the amazing time-honoured skills and traditional bed-making methods that we nurture during such a brilliant slot on the BBC is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

The show is still available to watch via BBC iPlayer.