Clix Fasterners
L-R: Ena Raine, Edna Mackee, Joan Maitland, [u].
Clix Fasteners Ltd. began manufacturing zips at its factory on Armstrong Road in January 1964. In 1978, the company was bought by Coats Optilon, when a new factory was opened on North West Industrial Estate. This closed in 2003, making 300 workers redundant.
L-R: Joan Maitland, Marjorie Stout, Ena Raine [u], [u], [u], [u], Edna Mackey.
L-R: Maureen Waddell, Agnes Nicholson, [u], Anne Sterman, [u].
L-R: Sally [no surname], Edna Bell, Hilda Payne, Maureen Waddell, [u], Linda Curry.
I started at Clix Fasters in 1967 when I was 16. My mam, Renee [Waddell], was already working there and its through her I got the job. My first supervisor was Edna Mackey, who was a lovely woman. To begin with, they put me on the machine attaching the sliders to the zips. The chain, as it came off the gapers, could cut your hands to bits. I was quite happy when they took me off this and moved me onto repairs, which had to be done by hand.
The funniest memory I have from my ten years at Clix was the day that my mam saw a mouse. She was working on the tent zips, which were huge, long things, when the mouse appeared from the crate and ran up the length of the chain towards her. She started screaming and shouting and with all the commotion the whole factory stopped work. Edna Mackey investigated and as soon as she realised it was a mouse, jumped up onto the packing bench. Once everyone realised what had happened, they were falling about in fits of laughter.
Maureen Raine (nee. Waddell)