Meet The latest Editions To The British Wool Team
We have welcomed four new faced to our team and working closely with the Member Service team to help support our members in collecting and sending their wool in to our depots.
James Bickerton - Member Communications Supervisor
Tell us about yourself
I have been working with sheep all my life, a farmer for 25 years before moving into the nutrition industry. Followed by 14 years as the specialist Sheep and Beef lecturer and third year course manager at Reaseheath College.
I am currently the NSA central region chairman and have been involved with the NSA young shepherd competition in many regions for many years.
I joined British Wool in April having known Gareth for many years through shows, college and the NSA it didn’t take him much persuasion to get me to join the team.
What are you looking forward to at British Wool?
Seeing wool prices return to a reasonable value, for many years the return farmers receive for their wool has been nowhere near enough. We are finally seeing an upturn in prices, mainly due to British Wool reducing overheads and adding value to your wool. Hopefully in a few years we will see a return to where wool not only covers the cost of shearing but also returns a profit. Working for British Wool is about passion and belief, over my time in Agriculture I have seen the demise of several farming cooperatives the Milk board and the Potato board to name two that have affected me personally and the consequences are clear to see. British Wool is a farming co-operative, owned by the sheep farmers and we must all pull together to keep the market safe. Farmers can rest easy knowing that British Wool sell the wool on your behalf, deduct the cost of marketing & processing the wool and return the net proceeds to you. There is no profit for British Wool, everything we achieve we return to our members.
The redevelopment of the licensee scheme to ensure British wool is what the consumer is actually buying and the fact that next season at least 65% of all British Wool will be traceable back to the farm are two areas that really excite me giving farmers the confidence that British Wool is ensuring their wool reaches the right market and achieves the maximum price.
What do you do in your spare time?
Family and the dog take up most of my time, I have a love for cooking both indoors and out. I am a passionate football fan but currently my team has been more disappointing than the 2019 wool price! I Love doing things around the house as a keen DIY enthusiast but as my wife would tell you I’m great but it would be nice if I finished one job properly before starting another!
What is the one message you hope to deliver to our members this season
Trust in British Wool, we will do everything we can to maximise the value of your wool. Such as the continual cost savings British Wool have made over the last 18 months equivalent to 7p/kg or the promoting of British wool in the market place and the innovation we support to find new uses for wool. Every extra penny British Wool makes we return to our members.
Rosie Keenan - Northumberland Field Officer
Tell us a little about yourself?
My passion for wool started at a young age, as a sheep shearer’s daughter, I grew up within the shearing industry. My dad is originally from New Zealand then travelled to Scotland to shear the notorious Scottish Blackface and ended up settling. I followed in his footsteps and the shearing season as a wool handler around the world for the best part of a decade working in the UK, Norway, Australia and New Zealand.
I have now taken a step back from as much travelling after achieving 2nd place at the world shearing and wool handling championships in 2019 in France as I always wanted to get more involved with farming and run my own dogs. Currently working self-employed, part time shepherding on a farm at Wooler, Northumberland running 1,400 Romney ewes. I also do 4 months of contract lambing and freelance as a wool handler.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
What is spare time? I’m busy working most of the time, every day is a Monday but in my down time I try to get up home to Perthshire to spend time with my family, it’s always nice being back home surrounded by the hills and being by the loch side.
I also signed up to a local rowing club last year, something that I always had an interest in but never had the time or confidence to do so. With having a base and travelling less I was able to get myself out on the water and I loved it. I hope to get back into this again this year.
I also enjoy taking wool handling to the next level and compete in competitions both nationally and internationally. This year I will be representing Scotland in a 6 Nations match down at the Royal Welsh and I’m taking part in the Scottish wool handling circuit to try and qualify for the Scottish team for the 2023 World Championships which will be held in Scotland. .
What are you looking forward to in your new role at British Wool?
I am looking forward to getting out and about meeting people, seeing Northumberland and having a good ol’ yarn to farmers, hearing their stories from the farm whilst passing on my knowledge and passion for wool.
What is the one message you hope to deliver to farmers, our members, this season?
British Wool works for them, we are working together with their best interests at heart. Generating demand for wool whilst at the same time, marketing wool and creating a downstream sale for wool rich products. There are a lot of passionate people within this company who want to see the wool grown within the UK at the top of the line, a sought after product.
Also members can use their membership number to get 20% off products on the British Wool Shop!
Lowenna Hoskins - Cornwall Field Officer
Tell us a little about yourself?
I’m 30 years old and was brought up on a mixed dairy, beef and sheep farm. I’ve milked cows, driven tractors, lambed sheep and hatched chicks since I first started walking. Growing up in Cornwall I have had the chance to experience so much variation in farming. Doing hay harvest on the cliffs overlooking Cornish coastal paths. Doing silage in February and November. Also having rain for 7-8 months a year I have helped housing the animals in terrible winters. Being 1 of 5 siblings, we all get hands on and enjoy helping out.
What are you looking forward to in your new role at British Wool?
I look forward to talking with farmers, giving out information that is current and up to date. I want to help build a good relationship and put pride back into selling wool.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I love spending time on the family farm, helping my mum, dad and brother with daily jobs and gardening. I really enjoy walking my dogs and keeping up their training. I have Fred a Cocker Spaniel and Border Collies on the farm.
What is one message you hope to deliver to farmers, our members, this season?
Keeping British Wool “British” and about the free transport that we offer.
Isaac Wills - Devon Field Officer
Tell us a little about yourself?
I am 27 year old sheep farmer/shepherd that lives on the edge of Dartmoor near Okehampton. My Wife and I run salt of the earth livestock, breeding stock and meat box schemes. I like to work on other farms when needed and I do a lot of shepherding carried out on various farms. I absolutely love sheep and farming as this is a brilliant way to live that has so many positives. I have a flock of North Country Mules, Suffolk X’s and a few pedigree Border Leicester. I also own a small herd of pigs for breeding and meat boxes.
What are you looking forward to in your new role at British Wool?
I am looking forward to meeting new farming faces across Devon and working with old familiar faces to promote British wool’s quality, sustainable fibre and to work with farmers to push their fantastic product.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
In my rare spare time I enjoy going and looking at new animals to buy. I also enjoy going out with wife and dogs for a walk as well as spending time with family and friends.
What is the one message you hope to deliver to farmers, our members, this season?
Let’s work together to move forward as an industry in these uncertain times, with a world that has been all over the place in the last 2/3 years we know one thing for certain, sheep need shearing and with this fantastic, renewable and sustainable product lets work together to utilise it. Wool built the British Empire so why can’t we use it to help build a future for a branch of farming that is an ever growing sector with so much potential of solution and not being the problem.