June 2014 – Unique signage adorning some of Timothy Taylor’s pubs in Yorkshire to symbolise their presence on the official Tour de France Grand Depart route.
The Keighley brewery teamed up with Leeds City College to set a special Tour project on the road by commissioning the college’s Fab Lab to make a number of yellow bicycle signs to hang outside all its pubs on the race’s route.
Based in the iconic Dalton Mill, Keighley, Fab Lab recently became part of Leeds City College which has its Keighley Campus nearby. According to Chris Scott, Leeds City College Business Operations & Sales Manager this very special project provided an ideal opportunity for some of the Engineering students to put their practical skills into practise.
Each bike is labelled to show which student worked on it so they can identify individual signs outside the pubs and hopefully spot them on any TV coverage during the event.
Locations include the Lord Rodney in Keighley, the Woolly Sheep in Skipton, and the Town Hall Tavern, which is situated at the start Le Grand Depart on the Headrow, in Leeds city centre.
The colourful bike signs were the idea of Timothy Taylor’s Operations Manager Heike Funke as part of her plan for the pubs along the Tour’s route to mark this special sporting occasion.
‘Hanging from the pub signage and the pubs’ flag poles, these signs will be a great show piece in the run up to the Tour De France and get everybody into the spirit of the race.’ she said.
Instead of going to a commercial joiner Heike was keen to link up with a local college and give young people the opportunity to get involved in this once-in-a-lifetime event. On visiting the Fab Lab she was highly impressed with the facilities on offer and the standard of work produced.
Chris Scott said the project had been a great experience for all involved, with everyone looking forward to seeing the signage in place and potentially spotting some of it on TV.
‘Fab Lab is looking to develop a longer term relationship with Timothy Taylor’s as a major employer in Keighley and exploring a number of opportunities for more collaborative work.’
He added: ‘One idea we are discussing is a design challenge where students will be given the opportunity to work on a genuine product design brief supplied by the company to create solutions to real world challenges using the equipment and expertise at the Fab Lab.’
Heike Funke commented: ‘Helping Fab Lab generate income through this project to reinvest in community activities will just be the start. There is potential for many future projects where the students can work with a commercial enterprise, to put their technologies, training and skills out in the market place, get an understanding of the commercial side to their work and gain valuable references for their CVs.’
Photo Captions: 1) Timothy Taylor’s Operations Manager Heike Funke (Back, second left), Chris Scott, Leeds City College Business Operations & Sales Manager (Back, third left) with Engineering students Stephen Dinsdale, Tim Etherington, Zach Milnes, Ben Smith, Luke Smith and Leon Smith. 2) Town Hall Tavern Tenants Sam Carter and Jon Rhodes raise a glass to the special Tour de France signs
