Herdy in the News

We love the Lake District fells but it’s nice to travel sometimes. Herdy has ventured as far afield as Japan, and a small but beautiful range of gifts is now available in Tokyo. Ito-ya is a famous Japanese stationery company, and you can now find our very own herdy at their flag-ship store in the trendy Ginza district. The store has 9 floors of stationery and gifts, stocking everything from pens to paint brushes to traditional Japanese paper and calligraphy supplies. The prestigious 100 year old company prides itself on customer service, quality, innovation, and satisfying the Japanese obsession for beautiful stationary. Well worth a visit if you happen to be passing!

herdy are fully behind the Campaign for Wool, which aims to promote the benefits of wool for fashion, interiors and the built environment. Not only is wool beautiful to look at and a great insulator, it's also natural, long lasting, renewable, and when it comes to the end of it's life, it's biodegradable. The Campaign for Wool involves designers, retailers and wool manufacturers working together to promote the wonderful properties that wool has to offer, and was initiated by HRH The Prince of Wales. He believes that choosing real wool is the sustainable choice, and will also help to support sheep farming as an industry. In areas such as the Lake District, farmers do a tough job grazing flocks of sheep to maintain the open landscape and diverse wildlife habitat, but they see little benefit in return. Prices paid to farmers for herdwick wool in recent years have been as low as 5p per fleece, while the cost of shearing is approximately 80p per animal. Without farmers taking care of the landscape, the whole economy of areas such as the Lake District is less sustainable. The herdy company aims to support farmers by making the best use of wool - one of the UK's greatest assets, and creating woollen products with modern appeal, such as the 100% pure wool throws. Their contemporary design aims to appeal to all ages and we hope that items like these will become something that people treasure and pass on to their children and grandchildren, so that this traditional material continues to be valued in the future. To support the Campaign for Wool, herdy sent a flock of willow Herdwick sheep from the Lake District hundreds of miles south to feature in the world famous shop, Liberty of London during National Wool Week in 2010. Look out for woolly events around the country during Wool Week 2011 from 5-11 September, and also International Wool Week 3-10 October. www.campaignforwool.org

We don't like to brag, but in 2010 we were awarded the title Small Company of the Year" by Business in the Community. Business In The Community stands for responsible business and corporate social responsibility, so it was a real accolade. Here are some nice things they said about us: "The Herdy Company has so much authentic passion, and for such a small, young company it is amazing to see the extent of its impact on the local economy. Sustainability is woven into the very fabric of everything the company does. It is truly inspirational and I look forward with excitement to see how the Herdy brand continues to go from strength to strength." In 2011 we have been helping BITC to judge this year's entrants. It has been inspiring to see the creative ways that other businesses are finding to operate responsibly, and we are encouraged to see the responsible business movement continuing to grow. We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the 'Big Tick' seal of approval again this year, and are looking at ways to continue to improve the way we do things. http://www.bitc.org.uk/

We have our own, cute little shop right in the heart of The Lakes so please come and say hello next time you're in town. It's a great opportunity for us to showcase the entire product range and get to meet and greet our customers. We plan to use the shop for new product launches and fun events so keep you eyes peeled for what's coming. The herdy shop is located in Grasmere village, on College Street adjacent to the village green. See you there! College Street Grasmere Cumbria The Lake District LA22 9SZ click here to see a map