Mrs Joyce Ball doing a man's job   tacking insoles with Mr Ron Parker.

The women all volunteered for service on men's machines in the firm's lasting room and are undaunted by the cuts and bruises they receive in the line of duty.

They are determined to soldier on for their firm, which is closing down an April for domestic reasons.

The women were all machinists in the closing room, and early this week ithey finished their work on the company's last batch of orders.

Sad

None of them wanted to let the side down and walk out of the factory before they had to and so they volunteered to go down­stairs to help the men on the shop floor.

Mrs Joyce Ball, who has worked for Clarke's for twenty years — longer than any other of the women — said everyone was very sad about the closure.

"We just didn't want to leave the old place, so we decided to stick it to the end. We felt we didn't want to let the old place down," she said.

Sorry

Mrs Ball said that working at the firm was like being part of one big family. "Everybody gets on so well together," she said.

Mrs Mary Parker, forewoman, said she was very sorry to be leaving. "We thought we would like to help," she said.

Chairman of the company,

Mrs C M Stockdale, said: "The whole factory has been marvellous all the way through. They have been very co-operative."

Busy

She and her company secretary, Mrs Dulcie Dowsett, will be staying behind when the last of the workers have gone, to finish the paper work.

"It's been a busy little firm. It'll be very sad when they've all gone. It'll be like a morgue," said Mrs Dowsett.

The factory is being bought by the Rushden group of stores — Peter Crisp.