Oakford sheep flock to Savile Row (From This is The West Country)

Oakford sheep flock to Savile Row

7:00am Saturday 16th October 2010 in Devon

A FLOCK of sheep normally seen grazing the rolling fields of Mid Devon found themselves the centre of attention in the heart of London on Monday.

Thousands of people flocked to Savile Row, the world’s most prestigious location for fine tailoring, for an event in support of the Prince of Wales’ ‘Campaign for Wool’.

And among the stars of the show were 30 Bowmont ewes from Lesley and Roger Prior’s 145-acre Westcott Farm at Oakford near Tiverton.

Mrs Prior had a chocolate-coloured tweed suit made for her Savile Row tailor Gieves and Hawkes as part of the campaign.

The event was organised by a coalition of industry groups convened by Prince Charles to educate consumers about the benefits of wool.

The event coincided with the launch of a range of West of England tweed cloths, using British wool for the first time, by Fox Brothers in Wellington.

Douglas Cordeaux, managing director at Fox Brothers, said: “Sheep farming and wool production in this country have been integral to the history and development of Great Britain.”