The Carloway Mill Companies

One of the problems generated by these companies is the question of with whom you are dealing. Local government employees of the Western Isles Council (WIC) have shown in correspondence that they are confused by the issue. For example, the letter of proposed lease of the Carloway Mill on 23.11.2003 (obtained under the Freedom of Information Act) was written and sent by the WIC legal representative to Harris Tweed Textiles (Manufacturing) Ltd: a company that does not exist and never did exist. Here is a synopsis of the situation according to records of Companies House, as they stood on 31.3.05.

There are three companies using the Carloway Mill as their trading address. All three companies have 26 Lewis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis as their registered office.

1 Harris Tweed Textiles Ltd SC250230
Secretary: John Cunningham
Director: Roderick Cunningham
Shareholder: Derek Donald Reid

2 HTT (Manufacturing) Ltd SC257602
Secretary: Kathy Macaskill
Directors: Stephen Mackay and Derek Donald Reid
Shareholder: Derek Donald Reid
Ex Secretary and Director: John Cunningham (resigned September 2004)
The issue is complicated by the fact that this company has changed its name twice. It was first incorporated under its current name; then changed to HTT Ltd, and then changed back to its current name.

3 Harris Yarns Ltd SC271630
Secretary: John Cunningham
Director: Roderick Cunningaham (sic)

Here is the chronology:

The different companies, and the name changes of one of them, has tended to create a fog which their company stationery does nothing to dispel. In correspondence with my legal representative in April 2004, Stephen Mackay used stationery headed HARRIS TWEED TEXTILES but footed by HTT Ltd. No company registration numbers were given and there was nothing to show that these two companies were actually different.

I assume that Roderick Cunningham and Roderick Cunningaham are one and the same. Because of the small slip in the name, Roderick Cunningham's 26 other company appointments are not noted in the Companies House records for Harris Yarns Ltd.

COMPANY UPDATE 31.5.05

As of 31st May 2005, the shareholders of HTT (Manufacturing) Ltd are: