British Wool Heroes of 2012

Country Homes & Interiors magazine asked Alun Callender  to shoot portraits of British Wool Heroes for their 2012 calendar.

He travelled the country from the Scottish borders to West Sussex via Cumbria, Yorkshire, Pembrokeshire, Worcestershire, Somerset & Buckinghamshire and met some very interesting people on the way, and took a lovely set of pictures.

Amanda Griffiths, my wife and partner in Melin Tregwynt is on the left and Marie Wallin, Head designer at Rowan is on the right. I thought they might have followed the example of the WI and gone topless but apparently not.

Here are more heroes

Victoria Stapleton, Founder & Creative Director of Brora – Liz Cann, Design Director of Zoffany.

Kelly Butler, Creative Design Director at Brintons carpets & Georgina Cardew Co-founder of Fleetwood Fox

Fashion Designer Eloise Grey & Jane Exley of The Wooly Rug Company

Jessica Cross, Co-founder of Southdown Duvets & Christine Armstrong, Founder & director of Second Nature.

You can see more of Alun Callender’s work at http://www.aluncallenderblog.com

melin tregwynt at john lewis

This autumn keep your eyes open for special events to mark The Campaign for Wool, an initiative championed by HRH The Prince of Wales aimed at promoting the natural and sustainable attributes of wool throughout the entire supply chain from textile buyers to end users. 

‘He got together all the interested parties, including people in fashion, clothes retailers, carpet manufacturers and representatives of the wool industry, and they agreed to work together to promote wool.’

Melin Tregwynt are working with John Lewis on a range of blankets/throws to coincide with the campaign which culminates in a special week, starting October 11^th 

John Lewis are showcasing our products in their Cardiff store on Saturday, September 11th

so if you want to meet us and have a chat we’ll be at the top of the escalator on the 2nd floor. There will also be a display of our blankets.

Also this Saturday come and meet an expert! Mockie Harrison, Manager of the home design studio at John Lewis, will be showing you how to transform a blank room using this year’s themes and styles.

If you’re in Cardiff come and see us in John Lewis or visit our own store nearby at 26 Royal Arcade where we have our full range of products.

There will be more special events to mark the Campaign and we’ll keep you updated.

PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR STORE AT 26 ROYAL ARCADE HAS NOW CLOSED

Visit by First Minister of Wales

Earlier this year First Minister Rhodri Morgan visited Melin Tregwynt which flew the flag for Wales at a major international cultural event in the United States in June.

The First Minister said: “Melin Tregwynt’s products have gained a worldwide reputation for its stylish and eye-catching designs as modern as they come, but linking strongly to the craft and cultural heritage of Wales. This is one of the reasons why the company has an important part to play at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, where the best of Wales’ culture and traditions will be showcased Wales to more than one million visitors from across the USA and further afield. If what I have seen here at Melin Tregwynt is anything to go by, those visiting the festival will have a wonderful experience and will be flocking to buy some of Melin Tregwynt’s elegant and striking products to enhance their own homes with something Welsh and something special.”

melin tregwynt - a cultural icon?

Wales needs to maximise its cultural icons, a review of the nation’s heritage tourism, for the Welsh Assembly, recommends. The 165 page report says that because Wales has relatively few cultural icons it’s important to maximise the impact of those that do exist. 

Those listed include castles, the Wales Millennium Centre and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the national parks and famous welshmen from Dylan Thomas to Tom Jones. The review praises innovative tourism examples in Wales: especially the traditional cottage holiday company Under the Thatch, the Faenol Festival in North Wales, the marketing of the Wye and Dyfi valleys and Melin Tregwynt.

So now we’re a cultural icon. What next I wonder?