Patrick Burns worked for the Saddlers Company for 11 years during which time he drove the Company’s pivot to a deeper engagement with vocational training and support for equestrianism.

In 2020 he established the Walsall Leather Skills Centre to deliver against the Company’s objective of supporting the saddlery industry by investment in training.

Having retired in 2022 he returned to breathe new life into the Centre establishing it as a Community Interest Company free to engage with the market on its own terms. His ambition for the Centre is that is becomes a resource for the saddlery &  wider leather goods manufacturing trades and a centre of excellence.