Our Council

Once you start a career path in the textile industry it really does get in your blood. I started my career as trainee dyer at Walter Walker & Sons, carpet yarn spinners and dyers, now part of Ulster Carpets. As part of my training, I studied at Bradford and Ilkley Community College gaining my ONC and HND in textile colouration. I was approached by Scott & Rhodes Ltd piece dyers in Yeadon for the position of Pattern Dyer, I progressed to Technical Shift Dyer before moving to J. H. Walker in Ravensthorpe as Technical Shift Dyer. After 6 months I was promoted to Dyehouse Manager where I won the SDC Young Colourist of the Year award in 1995. A change of direction took me into sales of dyes and chemicals before the opportunity to become managing director of Advanced Colours and Chemicals Ltd a dye and chemical business located over the hill in Lancashire. I was elected to the Trustee Board of the Society of Dyers and Colourists and have spent the last 18 months as chairman of the trustee board. Three years ago, an opportunity to purchase Wilkinson & Scott Ltd based in the centre of Bradford was taken where we have installed a purpose-built dyeing laboratory.

David Gallimore is the current Chair and Council Member since 2002, and previously served as President in 2003/04. With a lifelong commitment to the textile industry, David is passionate about inspiring the next generation by promoting careers in textiles to colleges and universities across the UK.

Since 2012, David has been the Managing Director of Luxury Fabrics Ltd, the UK’s leading manufacturer of worsted, woollen, and cashmere fabrics. Under his leadership, the company has flourished, proudly trading under some of the most prestigious heritage brands in British textiles, including John Foster, Kynoch of Scotland, Joshua Ellis, Standeven Fabrics, and William Halstead.

David’s leadership combines a respect for tradition with a forward-looking vision, ensuring the ongoing relevance and success of British textile manufacturing.

Barry Smith has been involved with the Textile Society for seven years, the last three in the role of Honorary Treasurer.

Barry runs his own Accountancy Practice in Bradford, after spending 27 years working in senior management in the printing industry in the City.

Coming Soon

Gill is a life member and has served on the Council for over 45 years, organising the annual Design Competition.

She became the Society’s first female Chairman in 1984.

A graduate of Leeds University, Gillian began her textile design career at West Riding Fabrics and later established a successful design consultancy with leading UK and global clients.

At the same time she became an associate lecturer at Bradford School of Art, specialising in knitted textiles, colour and trends prediction.

Dr. Pam Brook has been a council member since 2012/13 and was the Bradford Textile Society President from 2015 to 2017. She is a retired manager and lecturer in Further and Higher Education. Pam worked for Hattersley’s in Keighley for 3 years in the late 1970s.

She currently volunteers at Bradford College’s Textile Archive which holds a substantial collection of historical items from the Society’s archive. She has recently curated an exhibition along with Helen Farrar, the archivist, about the history of the Bradford Textile Society Design competition and industry in the Bradford District. She has also recently completed a PhD at Nottingham Trent University.

Coming Soon

Ceri joined the BTS as a corporate member when she worked at James Drummond and Sons Ltd in Bradford between 1989 and 2000 as a woven textile designer and progressing to design manager. She became an independent member whilst working as a design consultant and then as an educational member when working as a lecturer / programme leader for BA (Hons) Media Makeup with Special Effects within the School of Art at Bradford College.

Initially, Ceri attended presentations by guest speakers and the annual BTS annual dinner as an ordinary member. In 2022, she became a council member whereby she accompanied BTS Design Competition award winners to Premiere Vision, became a judge for several categories for the Design competition, and helps with putting up various exhibitions.

Marketing Executive at British Wool, Louisa works with designers, academics and brands to champion British wool fibre as well as quality textile manufacturing.

Having studied material science & product innovation in the textile-heritage rich region of West Yorkshire, its abundance of working mills and sheep farms has instilled an appreciation of locality and provenance to her work.

Diane joined A W Hainsworth & Sons Ltd in 1987, and trained through the Confederation of British Wool Textiles in Bradford, latterly completing a master’s degree in business and administration at Bradford University in 2023.

She was Commercial Director responsible for Sales and Marketing for the group,  international sales, mainly China, India, Middle East, and the US, across technical fabrics, interior design, fashion, transportation, protective clothing, and the speciality technical textile market sectors.

Diane left Hainsworth in 2024 to become a full-time Carer, continuing within the industry through the role as the Bradford Textile Society Secretary in 2026.