Wool starring at event at RHS Rosemoor garden

Demonstrations on what wool can be used for will be part of the Great Wool Weekend

Wool professionals are hoping an event over the weekend will help raise awareness of their industry.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden Rosemoor, near Great Torrington, is hosting the Great Wool Weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

Activities will include classes on how to make things from wool.

British Wool, an organisation representing 35,000 sheep farmers who help collect, grade and market the material, will also be at the event.

Gareth Jones, head of member engagement at British Wool, said the fabric had a number of environmental credentials to it and the organisation was looking forward to promoting the material.

Event 'really important'

He added wool prices had not been at the level the farmers would like them to be, and some had staged protests over prices which had dropped from £14 per kilogram in the 1950s to 75p in 2022.

But Mr Jones said events like this could help give the industry a boost.

"This type of event is really important from a raising awareness prospective," he said.

Other activities at the event will include talks from textile artists and exhibitions about what wool can be used for.