A family embroidery firm has invested £160,000 in new machinery to take its business to another level.

Carlisle Embroidery, based in Port Road Business Park, has bought two new machines, which will give it greater flexibility to deal with orders.

The investment means the company now has four machines, each with a different number of heads which hold the needles used for embroidery.

It now has one eight-head and one six-head machine and two with four heads.

Alan Rogerson, who runs the firm with his son Stuart, said: “It helps us speed up deliveries.

“If somebody comes in and says they want something on the weekend and it’s a Wednesday, then we can put it on the little four head machine.”

The company employs five people and began in 1991.

It prints and embroiders garments including school uniforms and workwear, dealing with orders from all over the country.

Its customers include secondary schools in the Carlisle area and a number of small businesses. At the same time it embroiders sports kits as well as special orders for events such as stag and hen parties.

“A few years ago we did the British paralympic team’s uniform,” said Alan.

“It’s quite a wide and varied range of customers and it’s amazing who does come along.”

Alan is also one of the owners of The Uniform Shop on Nelson Street, Denton Holme, which is run by his wife Sue.

He is originally from Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway and started his career repairing industrial sewing machines.

His career saw him move to Annan, which led to him carrying out jobs in Carlisle, leading him to come up with the idea of starting his own firm.

The business was initially based in the Enterprise Centre, in James Street, in Carlisle city centre.

“We are honest and if we say we are going to do something then we do it,” said Alan.

The business also put a focus on quality rather than entering into “the cheaper end of the market”.

“I have been in the clothing trade for 51 years and I know what’s good and what isn’t,” he said.

“Business is heaving at the moment. For the last two or three years we’ve been steady away. We are keeping a few folks in jobs, which is the main thing.”

"It helps us speed up deliveries if somebody comes in and says they want something on the weekend and it's a Wednesday, then we can put it on the little four head machine," said Alan.

The company, which employs five people, began in 1990/1? and prints and embroiders garments including school uniforms and workwear, dealing with orders from all over the country.

"We are honest and if we say we are going to do something then we do it," said Alan.

"Business is heaving at the moment. For the last two or three years we've been steady away. We are keeping a few folks in jobs, which is the main thing."

He is also one of the owners of The Uniform Shop on Nelson Street, Denton Holme, and a new premises would allow him to base both businesses on the same site.

Mr Rogerson is originally from Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway and started his career repairing industrial sewing machines.

His career saw him move to Annan, which resulted in him carrying out jobs in Carlisle, leading him to come up with the idea of starting his own firm.