Harborough entrepreneur ties up arguably his most eyecatching deal with one of England’s grandest palaces

Blenheim Palace events and hospitality manager Gareth Gwilt with the Paul's rope.

An ingenious Harborough entrepreneur has tied up arguably his most eyecatching deal ever with one of England’s grandest palaces – and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Brilliant craftsman Paul Hall, 74, is cockahoop after selling half a mile of his superb top-quality safety rope to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

Elated Paul, who runs Genesis Reflective Products on Harborough Road, Kibworth Harcourt, told the Harborough Mail: “I’m absolutely over the moon.

Paul and his ropemaker Shannon Locke in his factory.

“You could have knocked me over with a feather when we got a call from Blenheim Palace asking to buy our rope.

“It’s not every day that the grandest palace in the land, the home of Winston Churchill himself, gets in touch and comes calling!”

The only broadloom weaver for 150 miles, he added: “It’s a huge honour to sell our rope to such a prestigious and historic customer.

“We have a team of four fantastic people here in our factory in Kibworth – and business is booming.

“And to sell our product to an internationally-famed tourist attraction like Blenheim Palace can only raise our profile across the UK and increase our impact even more.”

Paul, who launched his incredible career in textiles when he was just 15 in the mills of his native Lancashire, spelled out why his safety rope is such a decisive market leader.

“The bright orange hi-vis material has a crucial retro-reflective thread running all the way through it.

“That’s the key feature.

“The rope has a renewable break point every four metres,” said the innovative businessman, who’s stacked up a breath-taking 59 years in weaving.

“That helps to explain why the Ground Manager at Blenheim Palace was so keen to snap up our rope.

“They are using it to keep their many visitors safe around the lakes and walkways on their sprawling estate at the palace at Woodstock.

“I was just so pleased to oblige.

“We count ourselves fortunate – and are very proud - to have supplied the magnificent old family home of Sir Winston Churchill no less.”

Paul also sells mile after mile of his extra-special safety rope to Europe’s biggest traffic cone manufacturers.

“I invented it after a young workman was killed in a tragic accident by a works lorry towing 50 cones along the motorway many years ago.

“He’d still be here today if the rope linking all those cones had broken,” said the remarkable pensioner.

“But it didn’t and tragically he got tangled up in it.

“That freak incident inspired me to put my mind to making sure this never happened again.

“And that’s why all of our safety rope breaks every four metres.”

Gareth Gwilt, the Events and Hospitality Manager at Blenheim Palace, told the Mail: “It has been great to be able to work with Paul and Genesis Reflective Products to supply safety equipment to us here at Blenheim Palace.

“We are delighted to be able to work with them on this.

“Being able to support a small UK-based supplier, particularly this very difficult year, is an important part of our commitment to support small businesses.”

You too can join the impressed staff at Blenheim Palace in checking out Paul’s unique business, Genesis Reflective Products, on their website here: http://www.genesisreflectiveproducts.com/