By 
THE Sion Mills Buildings Preservation Trust will later this month host a special presentation on the history of flax spinning.
The talk, which takes place on Thursday, February 19, will be delivered by Johnny Andrews of Comber and promises to strike a chord with people in the Sion Mills and wider Strabane area.
Like the renowned Herdman family, the Andrews family came to Ireland from Scotland in the 17th century. Shortly after the Herdman brothers established a Flax Spinning Mill on the banks of the Mourne at Sion Mills, the Andrews family developed a similar enterprise in Comber, Co Down.
Both families became household names for similar reasons: Community service, industrial enterprise, the creation of employment opportunities and a passionate commitment to preserving the local heritage of their respective communities.
In his presentation, Johnny Andrews will reflect on the significant industrial history of the Comber Flax Spinning Mill and the architecturally important building that once housed it, which has now been successfully repurposed as luxury apartments.
Johnny himself was involved in managing the family business until it closed in 1997 and continues to run an enterprise in natural fibre products at Clattering Ford, Comber.
His presentation on the history and preservation of the Comber Mill, alongside reflections on his remarkable family, will take place at The Stables, Sion Mills, on Thursday, February 19 at 7.30pm.
