Kettering man retires after 50 years at Loake Shoemakers

Cliff Edwards, known to colleagues as Spyder, joined the company straight from school in June 1976 and has spent his entire working life at the factory.

Over the course of his career, Cliff is estimated to have worked on more than 12 million pairs of shoes, carrying out processes such as inking, edge trimming and setting.

In practical terms, that equates to about 13,200km of leather passing through his hands, roughly the distance between London and Perth, Australia!

Alongside his work on the factory floor, Cliff is also the artist behind the hand-painted Union Jack display lasts seen in Loake stores around the world.

Cliff said: “It’s been a blast. Hard work, but enjoyable.”

He began his career on inking before moving into other areas of production, later mastering edge trimming, a role he describes as one of the key skills on the factory floor.

Reflecting on his early days, Cliff said: “There was a man on every machine. Racks everywhere. My first wage was £20. I gave my mum a fiver.”

His nickname dates back to his early days at the factory.

He said: “I was into Marvel comics. One of the lads said, ‘he’s Spiderman, he is,’ and it stuck, then eventually became Spyder,” he said.

Cliff’s career spans a period of significant change in the Northamptonshire footwear industry, where many factories have closed over the decades.

“In the ’70s there were loads of factories in this area. Sadly, quite a few have shut. This place has just kept going,” he said.

“They’ve done me proud, keeping me in work all my life. I’ve met a lot of good friends here.”

Away from the factory, Cliff also played a key role in organising the company’s golf days, helping bring colleagues together.

“We had the first one in 1997 at Stoke Albany. I won it – never won it since though,” he laughs.

He is now looking forward to retirement, where he plans to spend more time walking his dog, painting, and playing music.

“I want to get my art stuff down from the loft and start that back up again,” he said.

Head of production at Loake Brendon Drage-Dawes said: “I’ve worked on the factory floor with Spyder, so first and foremost I want to thank him for his friendship.

“Thank you as well for nearly 50 years of service, and for the knowledge you’ve passed on to the next generation.

“You’ve been a major part of the team, and you’ll be greatly missed in production… unlike your bad jokes!”