From Morley to the Caribbean: A Yorkshireman's life journey comes full circle
A Caribbean-based founder of internationally acclaimed brands has returned to his Yorkshire roots. Maurice Widdowson, founder of Caribelle Batik and Old Road Rum, recently visited his home county on a whistlestop tour that included a sentimental return to Dewsbury Market - the very place his career began some 70 years ago.
A lifelong Leeds United fan, Maurice’s first job at 14 was on a market stall in Dewsbury on Saturdays, going on to work in locations across West and South Yorkshire.
In his early 20s he joined Littlewoods, rising through the ranks to become Assistant General Manager of their flagship store in Oxford Street, London. But he sought new adventure and opportunity, joining international conglomerate Bookers to run 127 rural shops across Zambia.
Maurice explains, “In the space of 24 days my life’s adventure began. I swapped Oxford Street for dirt roads in a Land Rover, travelling through the very wild Congo on my way to Luapula province in north west Zambia - a country I remember with deep affection.”
But, it was time to move on, with Bookers offering a new opportunity in the Caribbean.Maurice’s love affair with the region began, and he eventually found his true “paradise” in St Kitts.
In 1975, Maurice founded Caribelle Batik - a clothing and fabric studio which uses an ancient wax dying technique. Operating from the historic 17th-century Romney Manor, the business has since grown into a celebrated cultural landmark and a source of local employment. The company has a unique business model that empowers local Kittitian women, with nearly all of the managers being female. The family legacy continues with Maurice’s daughter, Harriet, serving as the Assistant General Manager.
Maurice's son, Jack, founded Old Road Rum in 2021 - a venture 20 years in the making. The rum is aged, blended, and bottled on the historically significant Wingfield Estate, the site of the first English land grant in the Caribbean dating back to 1625. Old Road Rum recently won a gold medal in its category at the International Bartenders Spirits Awards in Chicago and was described by Forbes Magazine as "the best in the world".
At 83, Maurice has no plans to slow down. He has an ambition to "paint St Kitts purple" by planting 3,000 subtropical jacaranda trees across the island.
He is also working to make the Romney Manor site a more event-friendly destination. As for Wingfield Estate and Old Rum Road, the most ambitious project to date is underway to add interest and facilities to this historically significant site.
During his trip to Yorkshire this summer, Maurice retraced the steps of his youth and organised a reunion with his Morley Gramma School friends at the Mermaid Fish and Chip restaurant in Morley. For Maurice, this was a trip loaded with nostalgia, friendship and laughter.
"As a Morley lad, I still remember Yorkshire and its people with deep affection," Maurice said. "I believe that the grit and determination I learned here, on those early market stalls, paved the way for everything I’ve created in the Caribbean. I hope that by showing what can be done, I can put a few smiles on some faces and maybe inspire a few people to follow their dreams. It’s a joy to bring my journey full circle and as a Yorkshireman truly feel that no matter where you go, a part of this wonderful county goes with you."