The Campaign for Wool was initiated in October 2008 by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who had observed that the wool industry was facing enormous and unprecedented challenges.
The price of wool had plummeted to the point where farmers were being paid less for their sheeps’ fleeces than the cost of having them shorn. At the same time, sheep numbers were declining across the world, from Britain to Australia and New Zealand, and some farmers were losing confidence in the future of the wool industry.
A parallel threat came from new man-made synthetic fibres, often oil-based, which were providing stiff competition in the areas where wool had traditionally triumphed – fashion, carpets and insulation. The Prince of Wales formed an apocalyptic view of what the future for wool might hold, unless something could be done. Without a thriving wool industry, and with further declines in the sheep population, the physical appearance of our landscape could change forever. Imagine the Cumbrian uplands deprived of sheep, or the Scottish and Welsh mountains, or the sheep stations of Australia and New Zealand. Were we really to enter an era when the wool trade, which has thrived and prospered since the Middle Ages, would be sidelined by man-made fibres?
The Campaign has a full and diverse programme of events for 2011, working closely with retail partners, promoting the wonders of wool, and will also be working much more closely with the artisan community across the whole country – the spinners, weavers and designers, both large and small, who have always been great local champions for the fibre.
Wool Week in the UK this year runs from Monday September 5th to Sunday September 11th, with windows and events throughout the nation, including a Love Wool initiative to encourage knitters across Britain to get involved.
Sign up to show your support: http://www.campaignforwool.org/love-wool/sign-up/
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