VISITORS to the RSPB headquarters in Sandy at the weekend got a warm reception. They got an insight into how the fleece from sheep living on the site is turned into garments for people to wear to keep warm. The wool came from the RSPB s own Manx loghtan
VISITORS to the RSPB headquarters in Sandy at the weekend got a warm reception.
They got an insight into how the fleece from sheep living on the site is turned into garments for people to wear to keep warm.
The wool came from the RSPB's own Manx loghtan sheep and there to show how it is turned into clothing were members of the Bedfordshire Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.
The Manx loghtan is a rare breed of sheep that developed on the coastal heaths of the Isle of Man, where there is a community of plants similar to The Lodge nature reserve at Sandy.
Their grazing keeps the reserve's habitat open to the sun by eating tree seedlings as well as the more vigorous growing grasses.
This traditional way of managing lowland heaths encourages heathers and low-growing flowering plants that do not tolerate shade.
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