Michelin closure news 'rips at fabric of prosperous town'

The Michelin factory was part of the fabric of the town of Ballymena

I grew up about 10 minutes from the Michelin factory and passed it every day on my way to school.

The thought that it will soon fall idle is shocking.

A place that has been around so long, employing so many people becomes part of the fabric of a town.

There is Michelin FC who play in the local Saturday morning league and there is the social club where thousands of people have attended functions over the years.

But, most importantly, there are the jobs.

When the Ballymena building firm, Patton, went into administration in 2012, I emphasised to colleagues that this was not a one-company town.

The closure of the factory on the Broughshane Road is shocking for the people of Ballymena

There were also the big manufacturing employers at JTI/ Gallahers, Michelin and Wrightbus.

JTI will be gone next year and Michelin by 2018, leaving locally-owned Wrightbus the last big manufacturer standing.

The departure of those two multinationals will mean at least 1600 jobs leaving a town of 30,000 people.

It is hard to quantify what the long-term impact will be on a town which has been prosperous by Northern Ireland standards.

Some people will find new work, new jobs will be created, but the prospect of attracting large numbers of new manufacturing jobs looks remote.