Member Article

Yorkshire Entrepreneur Awarded £10K Prestigious Wool Innovation Prize by National Livery Companies to Grow Her Flock of Stock and Business

Ilkley-based local entrepreneur and Founder of Little Beau Sheep, Sarah Turner, is celebrating after being awarded the wool innovation prize.

The Worshipful Company of Woolmen and the Company of the Merchants of the Staple of England announced that the 2019 annual Wool Innovation Prize has been awarded to Sarah Turner, founder of Little Beau Sheep Ltd. This week Sarah was invited to the prestigious The Worshipful Company of Woolmen 2019 civic dinner and awards ceremony to receive her prize.

Little Beau Sheep Ltd was launched in 2015. The brand celebrates the best of British wool through a unique range of hand-made laundry and body care products. From signature wool laundry dryer balls to felted wool soaps and laundry fragrance, the collection offers an innovative eco-friendly take on everyday cleaning tasks.

Using pure British wool, Founder of Little Beau Sheep, Sarah Turner and her team hand-make a range of natural and novel gifts and goodies in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. From dryer balls for a faster more fragrant tumble-dry to felted soaps for an invigorating bath or shower, there’s a whole flock of fabulous stuff to choose from.

Since its launch, the business has grown from strength to strength and been featured on BBC Countryfile live and Sarah has been invited to speak at events across the country. Due to the high demand, Sarah was at risk of facing a huge capacity challenges as the majority of products are all hand made. The £10,000 award from both livery companies will fund her the design and manufacture of her own unique Wool Ball Making and Lint Removal Machine, which will allow her to develop business growth and meet the increased demand for her products.

The Wool Innovation Prize is awarded jointly by the Woolmen and the Staple. Robert Hall, Chairman of the of the Staple’s charitable trust commented: “We are delighted to award Little Beau Sheep our 2019 Wool Innovation Award, which we hope can help Sarah drive further growth in the business. She has exciting plans in the pipeline for her business and we are immensely proud to support her.”

Peter Hullah, Chairman of the Worshipful Company of Woolmen Charity Committee, added: “The Woolmen are delighted to be working in partnership with the Staple to award this significant prize. Sarah is a worthy winner and we look forward to supporting her as she takes her innovative business, which focusses on putting wool to good use, to the next level commercially.

“The Wool Innovation Prize is an annual award available to the individual who shows the most innovative use of wool in any commercially viable application. As an institution, we aim to drive wool innovation in the UK and support British craft. Sarah’s business really impressed us. It combines the use of wool in every day products whilst allowing consumers to be more eco-friendly”, noted Peter Ackroyd, member of the Woolmen and COO of HRH The Prince of Wales’ Campaign for Wool.

Accepting the award Sarah Turner, Founder of Little Beau Sheep said; “At Little Beau Sheep, we are at the start of an exciting journey of expansion. This prestigious prize will allow me to develop the work I have begun using British Wools and to help me develop machinery to automate the production of my products. In my own way, I’d like to think I’m carrying on a truly grand tradition with my small business, from the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chocolate PR .