Sheep visit the heart of London as part of wool celebration

12^th March 2013

They will be a long way from their usual home deep in the Cotswold’s, but for three days this week a small flock of sheep will be resident in the courtyard of Somerset House, right in the center of London.

 

With Campaign for Wool transforming the west wing of Somerset House into ‘Wool House’ for 11 days from tomorrow (Wednesday 13^th March to Sunday 24^th March), National Sheep Association and British Wool Marketing Board felt it was important to have sheep resident for a period of the exhibition (Thursday 14^th March to Saturday 16^th March) so visitors could be close at hand to the wonderful animals that produce such an incredibly versatile and interesting natural fibre.

 

Visitors will be able to wander through the rooms of Wool House, seeing the largest ever exhibition of wool-based interiors, fabrics, fashions, floorings and crafts, before stepping into the courtyard to see three different breeds of sheep – Cotswold, Kerry Hill and Lleyn. Volunteer NSA members will be on hand to talk about all types of sheep, not just outlining their role in the wool industry but also the incredible range of other contributions sheep make, including putting delicious British lamb on consumers’ plates, contributing to the UK economy via a thriving export trade, maintaining iconic UK landscapes and keeping rural communities alive.

 

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says: “I believe wool is the most sustainable fibre on the planet – produced as a by-product of the natural life cycle of one of our oldest domesticated grazing animals, using little more than grass and herbage. It is important that alongside Wool House visitors can see the fine animals that achieve this and appreciate all the ways they contribute to society. In upland Britain sheep are the natural and efficient way to produce food and economic activity from lower value forage and semi-natural habitats, whilst also maintaining our landscape and biodiversity. Our uplands also store millions of tonnes of carbon, helping to address climate change. Meanwhile, in lowland areas, sheep are an essential part of rotational mixed farms, providing soil fertility for cereal and vegetable crops while also producing meat and wool, and even milk in some situations.”

 

Ian Hartley, BWMB Chief Executive Officer, says: “Sheep farmers toiling in every weather type the UK throws at them may feel a long way from the splendour of Wool House and the products on display here, but these stunning room sets showcase the difference wool can make and will hopefully inspire greater use of the fibre, which will be great for producers. Wool has many qualities that make it versatile and desirable to designers, and the work done by Campaign for Wool and the British Wool Marketing Board is essential in securing a decent price for the sheep farmer who produce it.”

 

Notes to editors:-

• Photographs of Wool House and the sheep in Somerset House’s Courtyard will be available, free of charge, from Thursday afternoon (14^th March) – please contact Joanne Pugh, NSA Senior Communications Officer, on 07807 237982 or joanne@nationalsheep.org.uk.
• The exhibition at Wool House runs from 13^th-24^th March, 10am-6pm daily with free admission, but if you would like to visit when the sheep are in-situ and speak to representatives from NSA, BWMB and Campaign for Wool, please arrange a time to visit on 14^th-16^th March with Joanne Pugh. Alternatively, NSA can provide an article discussing the many roles and contributions of sheep.
• NSA and BWMB are hosting a reception on Thursday evening (14^th March), which a number of sheep farmers and those involved in the sheep sector will be attending. A very small number of places are still available, so please contact Joanne Pugh if you wish to attend.
• The sheep at Wool House are from Daylesford Farms, one of the farms of Sir Anthony and Lady Bamford, near Stow-on-the-Wold on the Cotswold Hills. NSA is very grateful to Daylesford Farm Manager Richard Smith for his help.
• NSA is an organisation that represents the views and interests of sheep producers throughout the UK. It is funded by its membership of sheep farmers and its activities involve it in every aspect of the sheep industry. It is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England (Registration No. 37818) and a registered charity in England and Wales (249255) and Scotland (SC042853).
• BWMB is a farm-ran, non-profit making organisation, established in 1950 to operate a central marketing system for UK fleece wool, with the aim of achieving the best possible net return for producers. It is the only organisation in the world that collects, grades, sells and promotes fleece wool and the only remaining agricultural commodity board in the UK. Any press enquiries for BWMB should be directed to Gareth Jones, Producer Communications Manager, on 07590 355885 or garethjones@britishwool.org.uk.