Throughout 2025, we have been celebrating 75 years of representing sheep farmers and collectively marketing the UK clip.

To mark this milestone, we opened our doors and hosted several open days, including a special visit to our South Molton depot in Devon.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, President of the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), visited our South Molton depot during October, which carried special significance as it took place during Her Royal Highness’s own 75th birthday year, bringing together two landmark milestones that honour a shared commitment to sustainability, craftsmanship, and rural communities.

During the visit, The Princess Royal toured the depot’s grading facilities, met with local farmers, staff, and innovators from across the region, and learned more about how we are driving forward the use of natural, traceable fibres in fashion, furnishings, and beyond.

Andrew Hogley, CEO, said: “It was an enormous honour to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to our South Molton depot in this milestone year. Her Royal Highness’s lifelong support for British farming and her deep understanding of the UK’s fashion and textile sector made this a truly special day for everyone involved.”

During September and October, across its UK, several Open Days were hosted, offering a behind-the-scenes tour of the grading and sorting operations while exploring the many uses wool is used for from high fashion and interiors to garden products, pet beds, and even tennis balls.

The events also shone a spotlight on the people and stories that have helped shape the wool trade over the years, including:

  • Trevor Richards and Frank Langrish (ex Chairmen) are both long-standing figures in the history.
  • Alun Evans, ex-Chairman from 1985-2000. At 92 years of age, Alun still helps on his family farm, which has now been passed down to his son.
  • Former, long-standing employee, Dewi Jones – who retired in 2013 after clocking up 48 incredible years at the Brecon Depot
  • Gareth Jones, Head of Member Engagement who started his career in 1990.
  • Gethin Havard – Welsh-based sheep farmer from Sennybridge whose family has been farming for 960 years! Gethin was a Board Member for 12 years and ex-Vice Chairman
  • Billy Hewitson, former Depot Manager at Irvine, who is now Head of Operations – after starting as a temporary worker in the 80s!
  • Area Manager, David Swinton, who started his career in 1984 as a Trainee Wool Grader
  • Chairman and farmer to his own 950-sheep flock, Jim Robertson

Gareth Jones, Head of Member Engagement, said: “Owned by more than 30,000 sheep farmers in the UK, we collect, grade, market and sell British wool on behalf of our members to the international textile industry for use in flooring, furnishings and apparel.

“British wool isn’t just a legacy fibre, it’s a material for the future, and is gaining new relevance in a world increasingly concerned with environmental impact. Every fleece tells a story, and by choosing British wool, the UK is backing a thriving industry that values people and the planet.”