Slate mine entrepreneur dies in helicopter accident

AN award-winning businessman who transformed the fortunes of a slate mine in Cumbria has died following a helicopter accident.

Mark Weir, 45, died on Tuesday evening after leaving the Honister slate mine at Honister Pass near Keswick in Cumbria to return to the family’s home near Cockermouth in his helicopter.

However, when he failed to return, his partner and the mother of his children contacted the authorities who later located his helicopter and his body. The cause of the accident is not yet known, although an investigation is currently underway.

Mr Weir’s father and grandfather had both worked at the mine, which closed in 1986. He  bought it back a decade later and worked tirelessly to reopen it, digging out debris, restoring dormant machinery and repairing surrounding buildings.

It took him more than a year, but since reopening it in late 1997 it has become a fully-working slate mine again and a busy tourist attraction.

His achievement in turning around its fortunes won him a Director of the Year award from the North West Institute of Directors in 2005.

Mr Weir’s family and staff at the mine have said they are “totally devastated” by the incident.

A spokesman for Honister said: “Mark was a charismatic Lake District legend with a lust for life and a giant personality.

“He was passionate about everything he did from fatherhood to flying and business. He loved questioning authority but won many doubters over through sheer force of his personality.

“He was that rare mix of shrewd businessman and creative entrepreneur – just as comfortable in the company of royalty and celebrity as he was driving diggers with slate miners or making tea with the tourists who flocked to the mine.

“Mark loved Honister and Mark was Honister. He loved flying, he loved life in the Lake District. He was a fully-trained pilot with decades of experience and would never take a risk.

“He is irreplaceable both as a man, a son, a father, a partner, a businessman, a boss and a human being.”

Eric Robson, chairman of Cumbria Tourism, said: “Mark brought such a spirited dynamism to the debate about creating a thriving tourism economy to the Lakes. He genuinely loved Honister and the community of Borrowdale, he was rooted there and wanted to do the best for them.”