A local mum-of-two from a Ilkley, who’s built her business from her kitchen table in Yorkshire to become a nationally recognised brand and award winning entrepreneur, is celebrating having acquired a new member to her flock this week – the world renowned and multi-award-winning Aardman creation, Shaun the Sheep.
Sarah Turner, 44, the only UK producer of 100% natural British wool dryer balls, and winner of the 2019 Wool Innovation Prize, is delighted to partner with Aardman, to create a special range of products using British wool featuring Shaun the Sheep and with fragrances inspired by the meadow flowers found on Mossy Bottom Farm – and the partnership is off to a great start with the products being selected as finalists for Branded Gift of the Year in the most highly respected industry accolades, The Gift of the Year Awards, run by the Giftware Association.
Sarah, who has shared her views on the power of wool and the tragedy of it being an underrated material in a TedX talk, has worked with the Aardman licensing team to create a range of products including; Laundry Balls, Laundry fragrance, Linen Spray and Felted Soap.
Having previewed the range at the Spring Fair in Birmingham, as nominated Gift of the Year, earlier this month the new range was warmly received by retailers scouring for innovative new products to stock. Sarah said; “One of the things I love most about my job is being able to advocate for this incredible magic material, collaborating with Shaun the Sheep allows us to take this message to a much wider audience.”
Passionate about wool, last year, Sarah became a member of The Worshipful Company of Woolmen – one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London, dating back to 1180, due to all the work she does in raising the profile of the magical material that is wool – especially British wool. Sarah is also a proud supporter of the Rare Breed Survival Trust and The Campaign for Wool. Sarah’s business Little Beau Sheep is also a British Wool Licensee – meaning that they can display the “Shepherd’s Crook” of British Wool so that customers can shop assured that the products contain British Wool.
Rachael Peacock, Senior Brand Manager at Aardman added: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Little Beau Sheep on this lovely collection of eco-friendly laundry products. The collaboration is a perfect match for Shaun the Sheep and goes hand in hand with our One Farm initiative, which actively promotes sustainable living through a planet friendly licensing programme. It’s also fantastic to see the collection already nominated for Gift of the Year! Mossy Bottom Farm has never smelled so good!”
Shaun the Sheep’s ethos is the perfect match for Sarah who offers an effective and sustainable alternative to traditional plastic balls. Little Beau Sheep tumble dryer balls are a natural alternative to fabric softeners. Handmade in Yorkshire from 100% British wool, the dryer balls are chemical free, relying instead on their native lanolin content to naturally soften clothes. Natural and biodegradable, they provide a much quieter, planet-friendly alternative to their plastic prototypes. Little Beau Sheep also produces an eco-friendly range of other laundry and body care products.
After leaving her corporate career behind, Little Beau Sheep was born from Sarah’s need for more work life flexibility after having children, along with her desire to create a business that had more connection for her locally. Being a natural creator, combined by personal experiences, led her to the business she has today.
Using British wool, Sarah and her team hand make a range of natural and novel gifts and goodies in the heart of the Yorkshire near Ilkley – from dryer balls for a faster more fragrant tumble-dry to felted soaps for an invigorating bath or shower, there’s a whole flock of fabulous stuff to choose from. All Little Beau Sheep products are designed with sustainability at their core to reduce the use and dependency on single-use plastics.
The Shaun the Sheep x Little Beau Sheep range is available now on the Little Beau Sheep website.
