224 lines
6.2 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
224 lines
6.2 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
property
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greenproperty
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7985082
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-----
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# Green property: the benefits of wool
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## Sarah Lonsdale tests the latest 'eco' products and sorts the fads from the
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finds. This week: the benefits of wool.
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![Green property: Cecilia Hewett][1]
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Cecilia Hewett and some wool used for insulation Photo: RII SCHROER
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By Sarah Lonsdale 9:00AM BST 08 Sep 2010
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[Comments][2]
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Cecilia Hewett is a spinner, making fine yarns out of her own goats' mohair
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and the Cumbrian sheep that graze the fells and valleys close to where she
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lives in Johnby, just outside the Lake District.
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Brought up in the village, Cecilia knows how important it is for the upland
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sheep farmers, many of whom were close to going out of business in the
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aftermath of the foot and mouth crisis of 2001, to get a fair price for
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fleeces.
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"Sheep farming has shaped our communities and landscape for hundreds of
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years," says Cecilia, who lives in a 300-year-old Grade II listed farmhouse.
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"The reason why our northern uplands are places of such staggering beauty is
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down to sheep."
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It was natural then, when she and her husband Graham started renovating their
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old farmhouse and [**barn**][3], that they should use wool, rather than
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synthetic materials as a wall and loft insulator. "There was some old
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fibreglass in the loft, which had shrunk to a thin layer under a canopy of bat
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droppings," she says.
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"The farmhouse is very old, we needed a breathable material, which could, at
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times, absorb moisture during the winter. Wool can absorb up to 50 per cent of
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its weight in moisture before it even starts to feel damp, and when it dries
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out it is not damaged."
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## Related Articles
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* [Green property: energy-efficient homes][4]
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01 Sep 2010
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* [Green property: home-made solar panels][5]
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25 Aug 2010
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* [Green property: hot-fill washing machines][6]
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18 Aug 2010
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* [How to go green at home][7]
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12 Aug 2010
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* [Going organic in the bedroom][8]
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11 Aug 2010
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* [Green property: floor insulation][9]
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14 Jul 2010
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The Hewetts decided not only to put wool in their loft, but in the 2ft-thick
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walls of Cecilia's spinning room. "I've had no problems with moths or mice -
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the wool is treated to prevent moth infestation; the only mice problems I have
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is where we have a small section of sloping roof insulated with foam board."
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Val Grainger, who runs a small wool** [insulation][10]** business in the
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Blackdown Hills on the Somerset Devon border, and who has kept sheep for 30
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years, says: "Moths are attracted by the smell of the sweat and keratin in
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wool. Effective washing of the fleeces and treatment with borax or oils such
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as lavender or tea tree will prevent infestations." She says the best wools
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for insulation are the lower-grade ones from upland breeds such as Swaledale,
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Herdwick and Scottish blackface.
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Next month, Wool Week will celebrate Britain's relationship with wool, as part
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of the Campaign for Wool, launched in January this year by the Prince of
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Wales. At the launch the Prince encouraged people to think twice about "the
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seemingly trivial decision about whether to buy a wool carpet or its man-made
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alternative, or the decision to buy a wool coat as opposed to a polyester
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jacket".
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Wool is considered the safest fibre for carpet due to its high ignition rate
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(600C) and its natural flame-retardant qualities. The chief fire and rescue
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adviser, Sir Ken Knight said he would rather send men into a wool-carpeted
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house because it is more fire retardant and emits less fumes.
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Farmers are starting to get decent prices again for fleeces. Gareth Jones, of
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the British Wool Marketing Board, says this year the average price is £1.20 a
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kilogram compared with 70p last year. "Using wool in buildings has had a
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beneficial effect on the price of low-grade wool, which is used in
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insulation."
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Kath Berkinshaw, who herds her 160-ewe flock of Swaledale sheep on her farm in
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the beautiful Upper Derwent Valley, says that in her grandfather's day, the
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wool cheque would pay the rent on the farm for the year. "Now it barely pays
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the shearers. But things are on the up - the wool cheque I got this year was
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much better than last year." Kath's coarse, wiry wool is used to make
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insulation and the demand has steadily increased over the past few years.
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**WOOL INFORMATION**
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**Wool Week** is from October 11-17; for more information visit
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[www.campaignforwool.org][11]
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Cecilia's wool co-operative [www.woolclip.com][12]
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The next Wool Fest takes place June 24 and 25 next year in Cockermouth,
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Cumbria; [www.woolfest.co.uk][13]
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**Wool insulation available from**
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Thermafleece: [www.secondnatureuk.com][14]
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Val Grainger [www.woollyshepherd.co.uk][15]. Val's insulation costs £3.50 per
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sq m [www.isoenergy.co.uk ][16]
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**SEND YOUR QUESTIONS** to Sarah Lonsdale at Life, The Sunday Telegraph, 111
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Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT or email
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[asksarah@telegraph.co.uk][17]
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[X][18] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][19]
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* Share: [Share][18] [ ][20] [ ][21]
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[Tweet][22]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/greenproperty/7985082/Green-property-the-
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benefits-of-wool.html
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Telegraph
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## [Green Property][23]
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* ### [Lifestyle »][24]
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* ### [Earth »][25]
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* ### [Greener Living »][26]
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* ### [Property »][27]
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* ### [Sarah Lonsdale »][28]
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In property
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[![Castles for sale][29]][30]
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### [Property Picture Galleries][30]
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[![Interior of the new Oka store][31]][32]
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### [Interiors and Shopping][32]
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[![World's best places to live ][33]][34]
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### [World's best places to live][34]
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[![equity-release-guide][35]][36]
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### [The Daily Telegraph Guide to Equity Release][36]
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[![Bargain Hunter: The St Sulpice sofa][37]][38]
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### [Bargain hunter][38]
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[X][18] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][19]
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Share:
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* [ ][18]
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* [ ][20]
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* [ ][21]
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* [Tweet][22]
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* Advertisement
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![][39]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][40] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][41]
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