Papermaking to return to Leslie

Northumberland-based papermaker Fourstones Paper Mill Co Ltd is poised to restore papermaking operations to Fettykil Mill in Leslie, following a Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) award from Scottish Enterprise.

Fourstones acquired the site and two existing paper machines earlier this year and is currently overhauling machinery at the plant with the hope that production can be restored later this summer.

The £800,000 RSA grant is expected to help create up to 95 jobs over the next five years, and the company is beginning a recruitment drive this week.

Peter Duxbury, managing director of Fourstones, said: “Fourstones has a long, rich heritage of papermaking in the north of England and we are proud to be able to reintroduce this industry to Fife.

"We have been working on these plans for over a year with support from the Scottish Enterprise, Fife Council, and the administrator of the site, KPMG, and are delighted that our plans to bring papermaking back to Fife are now underway.”

Fourstones intends to use locally sourced waste paper as a raw material – something which no other paper mill in Scotland still does – to manufacture recycled paper products for away-from-home tissue and packaging markets.

The use of locally sourced waste paper and the use of electricity generated from on-site water turbines will give the operation very strong green credentials, allowing Fourstones to publicise the environmental soundness of the business.

Scottish Enterprise’s assistance to the company has played a key part in allowing the project to proceed. Commenting, Lena Wilson, chief executive of the organisation, said: “This RSA award will bring a traditional industry back to Fife, creating new jobs and giving an economic boost to the local area.

“Fourstones should also be commended for its strong green credentials – the fact that the company plans to recycle local waste paper should set a good example for the rest of the industry in Scotland.”

Councillor Peter Grant, Leader of Fife Council, added: "The fact that Fourstones is bringing papermaking back to Fettykil is terrific news for Fife.  Leslie has a long and proud history as one of Fife’s papermaking burghs and I’m sure everyone in the town will be pleased to see that tradition being rekindled.

“Fourstones has worked hard over the last two years to bring this all together and help provide a major boost to the local economy. We are delighted that with the support of Fife Council and Scottish Enterprise the company is now moving to the first stage of re-starting production at the site, and are committed to doing everything possible to support Fourstones in taking this investment forward."