North York Moors project revives Yorkshire wool heritage

North York Moors Tweed will use fibre from farms in the national park to make tweeds and share profits with contributing farmers; founder Emma Boocock raised more than £13,000 and secured park authority grants to launch the first collections.

A new project called North York Moors Tweed has been launched to revive the county's wool heritage and to give local producers fairer returns. Founder Emma Boocock, a fourth-generation farmer, plans to turn fibre from farms in the national park into tweeds inspired by the landscape. The project aims to share profits with the farmers who supply wool and to tell the stories behind the materials. Boocock raised over £13,000 through a fundraiser and received two grants from the North York Moors National Park Authority to help launch the first collections. Key facts: - North York Moors Tweed will use wool sourced from farms within the North York Moors National Park. - The business buys wool from local farmers at an above-market-value rate, as described by the founder. - Regular suppliers can join a profit-share scheme so they directly benefit from sales. - A fundraiser raised more than £13,000 to create the initial tweed and throw collections named Freebrough, Danby and Rosedale. - The project received support from the park authority's Farming in Protected Landscapes and Visitor Experience funds, and products are expected by summer in the inaugural year. Summary: The initiative is intended to restore value to locally produced wool, support farming incomes and preserve the area’s craft heritage. Products are planned for release by summer, and the founder expects the coming months will test timescales and costing as the project develops.