Future of wool - British Wool celebrates 75 years in the UK - 29/Sep/2025

Описание: It was once the fabric of choice for millions but will wool survive among a world of synthetic offerings? Farmers and experts focused on the fibre believe it can flourish with a little help.

A low-rise warehouse just off a busy road heading out of Bradford city centre may not be the place you expect to find what some consider one of nature's greatest bountys.

Stepping into the unassuming British Wool site on Canal Road, you swiftly realise everything is made of this natural fibre - from the reception carpets to the kitchen curtains.

The agricultural aroma of sheep permeates the air.

Thousands of huge green sacks line the walls labelled with the name of the farmer who sold the fleeces, waiting for expert graders to sort them.

British Wool, the UK's national body for sheep farmers, is celebrating its 75th year.

The organisation is still headquartered in this corner of West Yorlshire because it was once the wool capital of the UK.

Known as Worstedopolis during the 19th Century - after the high-quality yarn the city specialised in - Bradford produced around two-thirds of England's wool as it boomed off the back of a growing textile trade.

But the fibre has seen a decline in value as the world switched to synthetic alternatives.

In 1950 fleeces sold at £14 per kilo. Today they are sold at £1 per kilo - a price which doesn't even cover the cost of shearing.

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