Around 700 people took part in Skipton's first Woolly Sheep Trail over the summer, with visitors travelling from across the UK and overseas.
The trail was organised by Skipton BID in partnership with Spinning Jenny and ran from early July until Sunday (27th September), coinciding with the end of the Yarndale festival. A collection of knitted, crocheted and sewn sheep were displayed at businesses around Skipton, with participants using maps and passports to find them. More than 800 hours were spent by local volunteers creating the sheep for the trail, which celebrated Skipton's heritage as 'Sheep Town'. Data collected by Skipton BID shows almost 700 people officially took part, although organisers believe the actual number was higher. Participants travelled from areas including Portsmouth, Liverpool, Bristol and Brighton, while visitors from the Netherlands and Ireland also completed the trail. Skipton BID Manager Sarah Howsen said: “It’s been great to see so many families walking around town with their maps and passports collecting all of the names. “We organise and fund trails such as this to encourage people into our town centre – and feedback from businesses suggests that the Sheep Trail has done exactly that. “We’ve had a fantastic number of entries across the whole summer, with some people from overseas taking part. A big well done to the winners that were drawn this week! “Once again I’d like to thank all of the businesses that hosted a sheep model, along with Stephanie and the Spinning Jenny team for all of their hard work to help bring the trail to life.” The sheep were auctioned following the end of the trail, raising £815 for Skipton charity Spirit of Endeavour. The charity has spent almost 50 years providing accessible canal trips around Skipton. Stephanie Haithwaite, of Spinning Jenny, said: “We were thrilled to have been able to bring the field of knitted, crocheted and sewn sheep to Skipton over this summer. “Our group of volunteers worked for over 800 hours to create the sheep, and we've loved the enthusiasm of visitors and local people as they have gone round getting their passports stamped. “Raising £815 for a local charity through the silent auction was also fantastic and we are in the process of sending the sheep off to their new homes, both local and overseas!” Skipton BID said feedback from businesses involved in the trail suggested it had helped increase awareness and bring more people into the town centre throughout the summer.
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