Jim English was born in Buckridden, Kilwinning, brought up by his single parent coalminer father. Despite leaving school with one O-level, Jim holds a Business and Engineering degree, and has been a business turnaround specialist all over the world including USA, China and Mexico, but life took a strange turn in 2020 when he co-purchased the ailing Kay’s Curling business.
Since then, Jim has turned it into a thriving business, which has it’s own claim to fame – it has the sole rights to harvest Ailsa Craig Granite. The unique properties of Ailsa Craig Blue Hone granite as the perfect material for a curling stone’s running edge, and Ailsa Craig Common Green Granite’s resilience and longevity its body, every single curling stone used in the Winter Olympics is made by Kays from Ailsa Craig rock.
Jim will be chatting about his passion for Curling, Ailsa Craig, and why this has been the best job of his life.
