Sheep steal the show in central London

The presence of 20 sheep in the center of London proved to be a huge draw on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (14^th-16^th March), with hundreds of people visiting the courtyard of Somerset House to take a look at the unusual sight.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) took the sheep to London to support Campaign for Wool’s exhibition in the west wing of Somerset House – and their presence not only provided a massive draw for the exhibition but also created the opportunity for NSA and a team of volunteers to talk to visitors about the many roles sheep perform, as well as providing wool.

Joanne Pugh, NSA Senior Communications Officer, was at the exhibition for three days. She says: “The interest from the general public was overwhelming, with incredible numbers coming to take a look on each of the three days, despite the cold weather and persistent rain. We had a team of volunteers to answer questions and were startled by the level of interest visitors had, from basic questions about the breed of sheep, all the way through to really in-depth queries about production systems and how to support the nation’s farmers.

“We handed out more than 400 leaflets providing information on the role sheep play, including putting delicious British lamb on consumers’ plates, contributing to the UK economy, maintaining iconic UK landscapes and keeping rural communities alive. The leaflets carried the Red Tractor logo and encouraged people to eat British lamb, helping make our three days in London a really effective way to promote a positive message about our industry.”

The sheep, a selection of Cotswold, Kerry Hill and Lleyn ewe lambs, were kindly provided by Sir Anthony and Lady Bamford from Daylesford Farms at Stow-on-the-Wold on the Cotswold Hills. NSA is very grateful to Daylesford Farm Manager Richard Smith for his help, and also the willing volunteers who came to London to engage with visitors to Somerset House.

Notes to editors:-

• For more information and a selection of photographs of the sheep in Somerset House’s Courtyard, contact Joanne Pugh, NSA Senior Communications Officer, on 07807 237982 or joanne@nationalsheep.org.uk.
• For more information about Campaign for Wool’s exhibition – “Wool House at Somerset House” – (running until Sunday 24^th March, 10am-6pm daily with free admission) visit www.campaignforwool.org. For photos from Wool House contact Ed Green at Mission on 02078 457800 or edward@thisismission.com.
• For more information on how wool in the UK is produced and marketed, contact Gareth Jones, British Wool Marketing Board’s Producer Communications Manager, on 07590 355885 or garethjones@britishwool.org.uk.