A ‘baa-rilliant’ flock of handmade sheep has arrived in Skipton as the brand-new Woolly Sheep Trail has officially launched following over 800 hours of work from volunteers.
The free, family friendly event has been organised by local organisation Spinning Jenny and Skipton Business Improvement District (BID), with the aim of encouraging residents and visitors to explore the town centre while supporting local businesses and raising money for a great cause, the Spirit of Endeavour charity.
A team of seven volunteers recruited by Spinning Jenny have been crocheting, weaving and knitting away for more than 800 hours across 6 months to create 21 different sheep models themed around businesses based in Skipton.
All of the wool for the display models has been kindly donated by Skipton-based King Cole.
Celebrating ‘Sheep Town’s’ heritage, the Skipton Woolly Sheep Trail will run until September 27th the end of Yarndale.
After this date, the woolly sheep models will be auctioned off to raise money for Spirit of Endeavour, which has spent almost half a century providing accessible canal trips around Skipton.
Stephanie Haithwaite, of Spinning Jenny and one of the volunteers that worked on the project, said they can’t wait to see people exploring Skipton to discover the models they’ve put in countless hours to create.
Stephanie said:
“It has been a real labour of love creating each of the sheep and working alongside Skipton BID and our fantastic volunteers to bring the Woolly Sheep Trail to life.
“We're incredibly proud to see the project finally unveiled, not only because it celebrates creativity and showcases our wonderful town, but because it's helping to raise awareness and support for the incredible work of Spirit of Endeavour.
“We hope visitors enjoy exploring Skipton, discovering the sheep and supporting the fantastic local businesses taking part.”
Skipton BID is pleased to be a part of this exciting new initiative in the North Yorkshire town. Sarah Howsen, Skipton BID Manager, said:
“We’re so pleased that the Woolly Sheep Trail is now official underway in our town.
“We’re delighted to be a part of this exciting project, which we’re very confident will help to bring people into Skipton to boost footfall and spend across the summer.
“The sheep look amazing and we can’t wait to see them on show across town. I’d like to give a huge well done to all the volunteers for their hard work.”
Trail sheets, maps and passports can be collected from inside Craven Court before venturing out across the town centre to discover the sheep names or collect the stamp from each of the locations.
Completed trail sheets should then be posted into the dedicated boxes, also located in Craven Court.
Following the end of the trail at the end of September, one lucky winner will be selected at random to receive a wonderful Skipton-themed prize package.
The sheep models are also now open to bids on the Zeffy silent auction page.
These will remain open until September 27th, when each sheep will then be delivered to the highest bidder.
All of the money raised during the auction will be given to the Spirit of Endeavour charity.
Crewed entirely by volunteers, Spirit of Endeavour takes over 1,000 of those who might otherwise never be able to access it onto the canal every year.
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