Member Article

Woolly first for wildlife charity

It was -2ºC last week, so what a great time for Northumberland Wildlife Trust to launch its own locally produced wool from its very own conservation flock… ideal for December knitting.

The wool, a celebration of the wonderful products this region gets from its grasslands, has been spun from the fleeces of 40 of the wildlife charity’s ‘Flexigraze’ rare breeds of sheep which include hebridean, manx loaghtan, shetland and swaledale.

All the sheep have grazed on a number of the Trust’s Save our Magnificent Meadows project reserves around the region including Hauxley, East Chevington, Linton Lane, Prestwick Carr, Holywell Pond and Keepershield Quarry so, anybody using the wool for either knitting or crochet, will have the unique opportunity to wear their own little part of Northumberland.

The road to woolliness started in the spring when the Trust hosted two rural skills events for volunteers where, amongst many things, they sheared the ‘Flexigraze’ sheep, before sending the raw fleeces to The Halifax Spinning Mill to be washed, carded and spun into the balls of wool.

What makes the knitting yarn even more desirable is that it is totally natural and undyed - with the dark brown colour being due to the strong mixture of the hebridean (black) and Shetland (brown) fleeces.

Sarah Beeson, Trust Conservation Officer, a keen crafter has been involved with the project from the beginning, she said: “It’s really great to see materials we take from the animals that graze our sites turned into something so productive, as it would otherwise go to waste.

“As an active crafter I love the fact I can use a product of local origin in my weaving and knitting that also helps Northumberland Wildlife Trust undertake its invaluable conservation work. It’s a win-win situation.”

The 50grm balls are now available from Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s headquarters in St Nicholas Park, Gosforth, Newcastle, Northumberlandia (Blagdon Lane, Cramlington) and the Trust’s online shop: www.nwt.org.uk/shop

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sue Bishop .