The Context

Ulster Carpets was founded by George Walter Wilson in Northern Ireland in 1938 and is still privately owned by the founder’s family. The company has taken the positive attributes associated with being a family organisation and combined them with a forward thinking, global approach to business. 

Charles Wood Festival of Music and Summer School celebrates the music of Charles Wood and seeks to give singers and musicians an opportunity to perform and develop their talents. They do this through events during the year, and their annual summer school in August for singers, organists and choir directors. 

The Solution

Whilst Ulster Carpets has developed into a global company, it retains the ethos of being a local, family owned business. It is this connection with their employees and the proximity of their headquarters to the residential area surrounding it, which drives their responsibility to support the local community.  

The Charles Wood Festival and Summer School is a unique celebration of sacred and secular music. Established in 1993 it takes place over 8 days each August in churches and venues across Armagh. Participants receive the highest level of musical tuition from the Festival’s Artistic Director David Hill, former Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers and Musical Director of the Bach Choir. They also benefit from media exposure through a range of high-profile broadcasts and visits by eminent composers and performers.  

Supported by Ulster Carpets and Arts & Business NI, The Charles Wood Festival of Music and Summer School formed a new Girls’ Choir in 2017. With a total of 38 girls aged between 12 and 18 from across Ireland, the Girls’ Choir was directed by Ian Keatley, Organist and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. 

The vision of the new girls’ choir was twofold: 

• To proactively strengthen the commitment to work with girls from local communities  

• To recruit young singers from all over the island of Ireland to promote ecumenism whilst supporting positive cross community and cross border relations. 

The inaugural concert of the Charles Wood Girls Choir (CWGC) was in Ulster Carpets’ hometown of Portadown.  

In 2018 Ulster Carpets evolved their support for CWGC, in a financially difficult year for the Festival, ensuring that the Girls’ Choir could continue. Auditions were extended beyond Armagh and CWGC directly targeted schools which did not previously take part, underlining the importance of inclusivity. Two bursaries were provided to enable two girls, who would otherwise have been unable to cover the course costs, to participate in the Girls’ Choir. 

In 2019, in addition to their previous work, the partners also created a professional recording of the Girls’ Choir which was shared across social media platforms and was also available for sale on CD. The recording will be used in a direct marketing campaign for future participants, raising awareness of the Girls’ Choir in primary schools and extending geographical reach across Ireland.                                                               

At the lunchtime concert in 2019, Ulster Carpets announced their commitment to continuing their sponsorship of the Girls' Choir for a further three years, providing young people with the opportunity to develop their skill and talent with professional coaching in a shared environment. Both organisations remain committed to continuing to provide two bursary places each year.