A Tribute to my wife, Lesley Over   the   years   the   one   question   we   were   asked   more   than   any   other   was,   “how   did   it   all   start”?   And   the   answer   was   deceptively simple.   Lesley   had   been   an   Antique   Dealer   since   the   early   1970s   in   the   West   Riding   before   moving   back   to   Flamborough   in   1981 where,   in   an   outbuilding   to   the   Manor   she   had   lovingly   restored   over   two   years,   she   established   a   small   shop   selling   Antiques. She   wished,   however,   to   broaden   the   range   of   goods   and,   at   the   time,   there   was   talk   of   a   Marina   being   developed   at   nearby South   Landing,   so   Lesley   added   a   small   selection   of   good   quality   marine   knitwear   and   Breton   shirts.   The   shop   duly   opened,   with signs   announcing   “Antiques   and   Sweaters”.   Although   the   Marina   never   eventuated,   she   continued   to   sell   the   bought-in   knitwear until,   one   day   soon   after,   she   was   approached   by   someone   who,   having   seen   the   signs,   inquired   if   she   offered   “Antique Sweaters”.   Not   sure   precisely   what   the   customer   was   wanting,   more   questioning   soon   revealed   that   it   was   the   hand-knitted   (in one    piece)    traditional    Fishermen’s    Ganseys.    Always    ready    for    a    challenge,    Lesley    contacted    a    friend    in    the    Village,    Nora Woodhouse, who was still knitting Ganseys, ascertained what was involved, then advertised for knitters. In   those   pre-internet   days,   replies   were   slowly   received   and   it   was   then   a   laborious   task   of   sending   our   wool,   needles,   charts   and instructions   to   prospective   knitters   and   waiting   up   to   eight   weeks   for   the   finished   garment.   Some   knitters,   having   done   one, decided   “never   again”   while   others   were   not   quite   up   to   the   standard   Lesley   was   searching   for.   However,   eventually,   a   core   of excellent   knitters   was   formed   and,   from   1982,   Ganseys   were   offered   for   sale.   The   business   continued   in   a   small   way   throughout the   1980s   and   into   the   1990s,   gradually   growing,   until,   in   1997   our   web-site   was   launched.   This   had   the   effect   of   making   Ganseys available   worldwide   and   we   have   continued   to   this   day.   Many   of   our   knitters   have   been   with   us   for   years   (in   one   case,   forty years)   and   we   pride   ourselves   on   producing   a   heritage   garment   in   the   way   it   was   traditionally   done:   in   one   piece   using   finest quality 5-ply worsted wool. With   the   growing   interest   in   traditional   crafts,   more   books   on   Ganseys   have   appeared   over   the   years   and   other   sites   have   been dedicated   to   the   Gansey   but   I   doubt   it   would   have   happened   to   the   same   extent   had   it   not   been   for   Lesley   and   a   chance conversation all those years ago. Sadly,   Lesley   passed   away   suddenly   in   September   2026   but   the   tradition   lives   on,   with   all   our   wonderful   knitters   continuing,   to honour her memory. But, after forty-two years together, I have lost my soulmate.