Plans for Laura Ashley museum

Mick Bates, AM for Montgomeryshire, wants to open a museum in Carno, near Newtown, and now intends to meet with Laura Ashley officials in a bid to make it a reality.

Laura Ashley's former headquarters in Carno, where many of her products were manufactured, closed in 2004.

Mr Bates said the company had played an important role in Montgomeryshire and a museum would be a fitting tribute.

He said he hoped residents would join in his fight to open a museum but said plans were still in the very early stages.

He said: "Laura Ashley played an important role in our cultural industrial heritage.

"With the closure of the Laura Ashley factory, we have a valuable opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Laura Ashley, at the same time supporting the economic development of the Carno region.

"Representatives of the Carno community have expressed their strong local attachment to the history of Laura Ashley."

A spokeswoman for Laura Ashley said the company was aware of Mr Bates's plan and would be meeting with him to discuss them in the not too distant future.

Laura Ashley, who died aged 60 in 1985, set up in Carno in the 1960s and went on to build a factory in the village, which became the company's headquarters.

The firm later opened stores in major cities around the world, but the Carno base closed in 2004.