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Home > About the project Our philosophy is 'waste equals food'.
Nude Ewe wool is spun from the fleeces of Bedfordshire's conservation grazing flocks. Grasslands are a key feature of the English countryside. For centuries these habitats have been maintained by grazing sheep and other livestock. Without these animals our fields would turn to scrub, and we would lose the unique plants and animals that rely on our grassland habitats. The best sheep for conservation grazing are heritage breeds. These ancient breeds are very hardy and can handle adverse weather conditions. They will eat rough grasses, twigs and bramble that modern breeds won't touch. This keeps the scrub from taking over. Unlike modern breeds however, heritage breeds tend to be small and slow growing. Many produce excellent meat and fleece but because they grow slowly are not used commercially. Many of these breeds are now disappearing and some are close to extinction. Sheep must be sheared every year. This costs farmers money, and the fleeces themselves are worth only pennies. It also costs money to repair fences, maintain shelters and deliver medical treatment. We're working to help conservation graziers recover these costs. To do this we're turning waste fleeces into a commercial product: yarn! Proceeds from the sale of the yarn will be returned to the grazier. In this way we hope to encourage more people to use heritage sheep breeds to graze Bedfordshire's grasslands for nature conservation. For more information about conservation grazing, check out the Wildlife Trust's new brochure 'Conservation Grazing', available on the GrazeBeds website. Who are we? The Nude Ewe is a partnership between BedsLife - Bedfordshire & Luton Biodiversity Partnership and GrazeBeds, a project of the Wildlife Trust. For more information on The Nude Ewe contact Laura Downton, Grazing Sites Officer on 01234 362776 or laura.downton@wildlifebcnp.org, or Heather Webb, Biodiversity Officer on 01234 228063 or heather.webb@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk. |
Knit Kits include yarn, needles and instructions for our very own patterns!
Nude Ewe wool is available at:
just off the A6 at Barton-le-Clay.
at Roxton Garden Centre
a brand new shop in Preston, Lancs
new in Nottingham
The Nude Ewe is a partnership of:
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