Children from Kippax Greenfield Primary School are gearing up to make a special memento for one lucky athlete taking part in this year’s Olympic Games.
The gift will be in the form of a special cushion made from scratch and entirely by hand from beautiful British wool. It will be donated through the national Woolsack Project which is orchestrating the production of thousands of cushions to be given as personal welcome gifts from the people of Britain to Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Kippax Greenfield Primary School is getting involved thanks to support from local farmers and the North East NFU who are keen to encourage children to get involved and in the process learn more about wool how it is produced, why it is unique and why it is so important to the history of Britain.
Working with the farming education charity FACE and the International Association of Feltmakers, the NFU has devised a half-day wool extravaganza that will take the children on a journey from 'field to felt'.
Due to take place on Thursday 2 February, the children will initally meet local farmer Tanith Hornsby and some of her sheep to find out how wool is produced, how sheep are sheared and what happens once the wool leaves the farm.
Then they will have the chance to work with experienced local feltmakers to turn washed and combed local fleece in a range of natural 'sheep' colours into fabulous felt fabric. This will be used to create a cushion of the children's own deisgn, stuffed of course with natural wool. A special tag with a message from the children will complete the gift before it is sent off to the Olympics.
"This is a really fun project that will give local children an exciting opportunity to participate, albeit in a small way, in the London Games," said NFU regional director Barney Kay. "But it will also give them the chance to learn something about farming, sheep and wool production.
"With Yorkshire and the North East home to more than 6 million sheep we produce a huge quantity of wool but for many years it's a product that has been worth very little, with the price paid to farmers barely covering the cost of shearing.
"Now though its value as the ultimate environmentally friendly fibre is being rediscovered, thanks to high profile initiatives such as the international Campaign for Wool launched two years ago by Prince Charles.
“This year, the Olympics provides the perfect opportunity to really showcase British wool, which is not only completely renewable and sustainable but is also an important part of British history and our national identity.”
Commenting on the NFU initiative that will see five schools across Yorkshire and the North East taking part, Jane Cooper from the Woolsack project said:
"We're really pleased that schools are able to join in with Woolsack, learn about British wool and sheep and make British wool cushions to give as gifts to visiting athletes. We hope the children at South Street Primary enjoy getting involved and that a direct link with the 2012 Games will make them even more special and exciting.”
More information about the Woolsack Project can be found at www.woolsack.org.
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