for a reported £11m in May 2023.

It's likely that you have not heard of Taiwan's Hong Fu Industrial Group, but look down on a busy street and you may well see its products.Hong Fu is the world's second-biggest maker of trainers (sneakers) supplying shoes to Nike, Converse, Adidas, Puma and many others. It makes around 200 million pairs of sports shoes a year.

So when it made a big investment in India's market, the footwear industry took note.Hong Fu is currently building a giant plant in Panapakkam, in the state of Tamil Nadu in south eastern India. When fully operational, some time in the next three to five years, it will make 25 million pairs of shoes a year, employing as many as 25,000 workers.The project has Indian partners, including Aqeel Panaruna, the chairman of Florence Shoe Company: "The international market is saturated and they [Hong Fu] were looking for a new market," he explains.

"There is a drastic increase in non-leather footwear in India. It has huge potential," Mr Panaruna added.The Indian government is keen to attract such investment, hoping it will raise standards in the footwear industry and boost exports.

To spur the industry, last August the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) introduced new quality rules for all shoes sold in India.

Under those standards, for example, materials will have to pass tests of strength and flexibility."The water was so high... it was pure fear - what would happen, what could happen and what can we do with the kids?

"Seeing it flooded and actually seeing inside brought a few tears to quite a few of us," he said.He estimated there was about £20,000 worth of damage to the building, which has been home to the cadets for many years.

The community has helped raise £13,000 to get the group back to their base, but there is still no indication of when they will be able to return.Until then, they are operating from a temporary home in the town centre.